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.

Association between binge drinking, type of friends and gender: a cross-sectional study among Brazilian adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Hazardous drinking among adolescents is a major public health concern. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of binge drinking/alcohol consumption and its association with different types of friendship networks, gender and socioeconomic status among students in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a representative random sample of 891 adolescents (41% male, aged 15-19 years) from public and private schools in 2009-2010. Information on friendship networks and binge drinking was collected using two validated self-administered questionnaires: the Integrated Questionnaire for the Measurement of Social Capital and the first 3 items in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT C). We used the area-based Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), mother and father's educational background, and the type of school to assess socioeconomic status. The chi-squared test was used to examine the associations between sample characteristics or the type of friends and binge drinking (p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant). Ordinal logistic regression was used to estimate the association between binge drinking and the independent variables. RESULTS: A total of 321 (36%) adolescents reported binge drinking (5 or more drinks in one occasion), and among them, 233 (26.2%) adolescents reported binge drinking less than monthly to monthly, and 88 (9.9%) weekly to daily. Binge drinking was associated with being male (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.01-2.28) and with living in a low vulnerability area (having the best housing conditions, schooling, income, jobs, legal assistance and health) (OR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.05-2.62). Students who reported that their closest friends were from school (as opposed to friends from church) had an increased risk of binge drinking (OR = 3.55, 95% CI 1.91-5.87). In analyses stratified by gender, the association was significant only among the female students. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of binge drinking was high in this sample of Brazilian adolescents, and gender, low social vulnerability and friendship network were associated with binge drinking.

Prevalence and association of dental injuries with socioeconomic conditions and alcohol/drug use in adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of dental trauma, etiological factors, predisposing factors, and associations with socioeconomic status and the risk of alcohol and illicit drug use among adolescents in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out that included clinical examinations and self-administered questionnaires. The sample population was composed of 891 adolescents from public and private schools. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was used for socioeconomic classification. Information on alcohol and illicit drug use was obtained using two questionnaires: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). RESULTS: The prevalence of traumatic dental injury (TDI) was 24.7%. Falls (17.7%) was the most frequently cited etiological factor in dental injury. Among the participants with TDI, 32.8% were students in the private school system (P = 0.006). A total of 56.8% of individuals with accentuated overjet had some type of TDI (P = 0.000). There was a high prevalence of adolescents who consumed alcoholic beverages (50.3%) and used illicit substances (15.2%). However, no statistically significant associations were found between these variables and the presence of TDI. The results of the analysis demonstrate that individuals in a private school system [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.20] and those with accentuated overjet (>3 mm) (PR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.10-1.25) had a 1.11- and 1.17-fold greater chance of belonging to the group of individuals diagnosed with some type of TDI. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental trauma in the study population was high. The same was true regarding alcohol and illicit drug use among the adolescents examined, although no statistically significant associations were found between these variables and a history of TDI. Private school system and accentuated overjet were significantly associated with dental trauma.