The prevalence of dental trauma and its association with illicit drug use among adolescents.

Background/aim: Dental trauma has been associated with predisposing factors such as gender and age, and biological characteristics such as overjet and socio-economic factors. However, research literature associating the use of illicit drugs with dental trauma is scarce. The aim of this survey is to investigate the prevalence of dental trauma and the association of the same with the use of illicit drugs among adolescents.

Material And Methods: A transversal analysis was conducted using a representative sample of 701 students between the ages of 14 and 19. Data were gathered by means of clinical examinations and self-administered questionnaires. The ABA-ABIPEME tool was adopted for the assessment of socio-economic conditions and ASSIST (Screening Test for Involvement with Alcohol, Cigarettes, and Other Substances) as a standard for the consumption of illicit drugs.

Results: The prevalence of dental trauma was 26.6% (183/687) and that of illicit drug use 7% (48/684). Dental trauma was more prevalent among older adolescents (P = 0.010) with overjet greater than 3 mm (P = 0.005) in males (P = 0.001) who had used marijuana and/or cocaine in their lifetime (P = 0.005). The Poisson regression results revealed that illicit drug use was still associated with dental trauma independent of other variables [PR = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.06-2.24) P = 0.022].

Conclusions: The prevalence of dental trauma was high and associated with the use of illicit drugs.