Background/Aim
Due to the increase in incarceration rates, the prison community has attracted much concern in the recent past. Although people in prison are often socially disadvantaged and vulnerable to a range of health problems, there is a lack of information on the oral health conditions of prisoners. Thus, the aim of this study was to survey the oral problems of a sample of the male incarcerated population of Brazil, focusing on dental trauma.
Material and Methods
The research was undertaken over a three‐month period in 2017. It was a cross‐sectional study of 756 prisoners of the Curado Prison Complex, located in Recife, PE. Using a previously calibrated examiner, dental trauma was measured with the Andreasen index. Etiology of dental trauma and socio‐demographic data were collected with questions developed for this survey. Standard descriptive statistics were used to report frequency estimates. The chi‐square test, Fisher's exact test, and Mann–Whitney U‐test were used to compare groups. In addition, a binary logistic regression was performed to identify whether the studied variables could predict the occurrence of dental trauma.
Results
The prevalence of dental trauma in the sample was 10.8% and most of the cases (42.7%) occurred due to violent events. A higher frequency of violent etiology was observed in cases that occurred during imprisonment (p = 0.037). Individuals that suffered dental trauma during incarceration were more likely to have been incarcerated for longer periods of time (p = 0.043). The main type of injury found was enamel and dentin fracture without pulp exposure (68%). The most affected tooth was the upper right central incisor (40%).
Conclusion
These results underline the high prevalence of dental trauma experienced by men in prison.
RESUMOA organização do Estado com o sistema carcerário é notícia constante nos meios de comunicação. O consumo de drogas entre os detentos e a violência existente no âmbito prisional estão entre os principais desafios encontrados. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo mapear o consumo de drogas no maior Complexo Prisional em população do Brasil, situado em Recife-PE. Foi realizado estudo analítico transversal, com uma amostra calculada de 756 pessoas privadas de liberdade, previamente aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa através do Parecer nº 2.159.052. Um questionário sobre dados sociodemográficos e consumo de drogas foi aplicado por um anotador previamente treinado. Na análise estatística foram realizados testes específicos para comparação de proporção nos níveis de fatores qualitativos. Observou-se que 49,1% da amostra consumia drogas ilícitas com predominância do uso da maconha, sendo verificados valores significativos da prevalência desse consumo entre os mais jovens, casados e que fazem uso concomitante de tabaco e bebida alcóolica. Os achados obtidos evidenciaram a necessidade de implementar programas de atenção como forma de erradicar o consumo de drogas entre os detentos. Programas de segurança para bloquear o tráfico de drogas dentro das prisões poderão trazer uma modificação na conduta da população carcerária.
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