Association between dental trauma and alcohol use among adolescents.

Aim: To investigate the association between dental trauma and alcohol use among adolescents between 14 and 19 years of age.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving a clinical exam performed by a calibrated researcher (intra-examiner Kappa = 0.93) and a self-administered questionnaire. The sample was representative of schoolchildren from the city of Diamantina (Brazil) and was made up of 738 adolescents. The type of school (public or private) was used as a socioeconomic indicator. Information on alcohol use (high risk and hazardous use) was acquired through the administration of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, which has been validated for use in Brazil.

Results: The prevalence of dental trauma was 26.6%, and the prevalence of dangerous alcohol use was 44.3%. Dental trauma was significantly associated with a high risk of problems related to alcohol intake (P = 0.031), hazardous alcohol use (P = 0.009) and binge drinking (P = 0.036). The results of the Poisson logistic regression revealed that hazardous alcohol use [PR = 1.30 (95% CI: 1.01-1.66) P = 0.042] remained associated with dental trauma independently from age, gender, overjet, and type of school.

Conclusions: The high prevalence of dental trauma found among adolescents in the city of Diamantina (Brazil) was greater among those at high risk for problems related to alcohol intake and was significantly associated with hazardous alcohol use.