Illicit drug use and traumatic dental injuries in adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To explore the association between illicit drug use and traumatic dental injuries (TDI) among adolescents.

Method: We used data from 618 adolescents who participated in Phases I and III of Research with East Adolescents Community Health Survey (RELACHS), a longitudinal school-based study of adolescents in East London. Illicit drug use was collected when participants were 11–12 and 15–16 years old (Phases I and III, respectively). Clinical examinations for TDI were conducted in Phase III only. The association of lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use at ages 11–12 and 15–16 years with TDI was evaluated in crude and adjusted binary logistic regression models.

Results: Overall, 6.3% and 25.4% of adolescents reported having ever used illicit drugs at ages 11–12 (Phase I) and 15–16 years (Phase III), respectively. Also, 8.7% of adolescents were found to have TDI at age 15–16 years. There was no significant association between lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use reported at age 11–12 years (Odds Ratio: 1.07; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.45–2.54) or age 15–16 years (OR: 1.19; 95%CI: 0.74–1.93) and TDI.

Conclusion: This study found no support for an association between illicit drug use and TDI among adolescents from East London.