@article{ref1,
title="To what extent does illicit drug use predispose to facial injury? An institutional investigation for an emergent problem",
journal="Craniomaxillofacial trauma and reconstruction",
year="2021",
author="Febbo, Anthony and Hoffman, Gary R.",
volume="14",
number="1",
pages="11-15",
abstract="STUDY DESIGN: There are potential substantive linkages between illicit drug use and the occurrence of injury. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence, class of illicit drugs abused, and demographics in relation to a cohort of patients who sustained facial injury. <br><br>METHODS: The authors undertook a retrospective observational study of a prospectively accessioned cohort of patients who had sustained a facial injury and presented to the John Hunter Hospital (Newcastle, NSW, Australia). The primary predictor variable was the presentation of a facial injury and the secondary outcome variables included illicit drug use, alcohol use, and socioeconomic factors. The study was carried out over a 12-month period. A descriptive analysis was undertaken on the assembled data. <br><br>RESULTS: Of the 465 patient medical records that were accessed for the study, 348 were male and 117 were female. Their average age was 42.6 years: 5.8% (n = 27) were under the influence of illicit drugs at the time of their presentation and 13.1% (n = 61) admitted to an intercurrent illicit drug habit. Those who were under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs comprised of 2.8% (n = 13). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that illicit drug use plays a small, but nonetheless, demonstrable role in the presentation of maxillofacial trauma patients to an urban level I trauma center. Illicit drug users are an emergent sociodemographic group of patients who can sustain facial trauma and their presentation needs to be appropriately considered, assessed, and managed collectively.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1943-3875",
doi="10.1177/1943387520928637",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1943387520928637"
}