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.
Keywords: Street drugs; adolescent; prevalence; tooth injuries.