Cannabis use on gingival bleeding and caries experience among students

Abstract

 Aim: The present study aimed to investigate if cannabis use can be associated with gingival bleeding and caries experience among Brazilian students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2016 with first-semester university students in Pelotas. Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Self-reported gingival bleeding and caries experienced were collected. Cannabis use was assessed using a modified version of the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). We define cannabis users as individuals who report using cannabis at least once a month. A Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 2,058 (64.5% of eligible students) students were assessed. The prevalence of caries experience was 68.2% and gingival bleeding was 50.8%. The prevalence of cannabis use was 11.7%. After controlling (sex, skin color, age, family income, depressive symptoms, oral health self-perception tobacco use), individuals who use cannabis present a prevalence of gingival bleeding 2.51 (CI95%[1.42–4;53]) higher than individuals who did not use cannabis. The association was maintained even when the individuals who used tobacco were excluded from the sample (PR=2.24, CI95%[1.16 – 4.31]). Cannabis use did not show an association with the experience of dental caries in both crude (PR 0.91 CI95%[0.82 – 1.01]) and adjusted models (PR 0.93 CI 95%[0.83 – 1.05]). Conclusion: Cannabis use was associated with the presence of gingival bleeding among the students of a public university in the south of Brazil. However, the experience of dental caries did not present an association with cannabis use.