Relations of drug use and socioeconomic factors with adherence to dental treatment among adolescents

Author(s)

Freddo, Silvia Leticia ^[1] ; da Cunha, Inara Pereira ^[1] ; Bulgareli, Jaqueline Vilela ^[1] ; Cavalcanti, Yuri Wanderley ^[2] ; Pereira, Antonio Carlos ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Piracicaba Dent Sch, Dept Community Dent, Av Limeira 901, POB 52, BR-13414903 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Paraiba, Dept Clin & Social Dent, Joao Pessoa, Paraiba - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BMC ORAL HEALTH; v. 18, DEC 19 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

BackgroundAdolescents are vulnerable to behaviors that weaken health, by adopting habits that interfere with adherence to treatment. The aims of the present study were to investigate adolescents' adherence to dental treatment and the relations between this behavior and socioeconomic factors and consumption of licit and illicit chemical substances.MethodsA longitudinal study was conducted with 474 adolescents from Piracicaba/SP/Brazil, who initially underwent a dental examination to verify the adherence for dental treatment. After 18months, 325 adolescents were reassessed. Valid questions about socioeconomic conditions and use of alcohol and drugs were applied to participants. The chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used. The prevalence ratios were estimated with the respective 95% confidence intervals, using generalized linear models with Poisson distribution.ResultsEighteen (18) months after the first consultation, 325 adolescents were reassessed: 161 (49%) did not adhere to the treatment, and 164 (51%) adhered to it and answered the socioeconomic and alcohol and illicit drug questionnaires. Their mean age was 151years; of them, 189 (58%) were female. The prevalence of adherence to treatment decreased in patients without their own home (p=0.034). In the individual analysis of the variables, drinking alcohol alone, experimenting with drugs, and proximity of friends who consumed illicit substances were associated with the outcome (p<0.05). However, in the joint analysis, only proximity of friends who consumed drugs was the factor related to low adherence to dental treatment among the adolescents (p=0.035).Conclusion Adolescents who consumed alcohol and socialized with friends who used illicit drugs had greater difficulty in adhering to dental treatment. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/17340-9 - Vulnerability in oral health: qualitative and quantitative approaches in adolescents
• Grantee: Jaqueline Vilela Bulgareli
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate