To What Extent Does Illicit Drug Use Predispose to Facial Injury? An Institutional Investigation for an Emergent Problem

Abstract

Study Design: There are potential substantive linkages between illicit drug use and the occurrence of injury. 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. 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. 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). 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.