Características del consumo de bebidas alcohólicas y patrón de consumo en estudiantes de Odontología

Aim: To describe characteristics of alcohol consumption and to identify patterns of consumption among dental students from University San Sebastián, Concepción. Method: This is an exploratory, non-experimental, descriptive and cross sectional study with a sample of 601 students (65% of students). Two questionnaires were applied during the second semester of 2015. The first: A structured questionnaire designed to collect data on alcohol consumption and its characteristics. The second: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The association of the dependent variable “alcohol” with the independent variables “age”, “gender”, “geographic location of origin” and “semester” were evaluated by a binomial logistic regression. Then, the data observed in subjects who reported drinking alcohol were evaluated. The significance level used in all cases was α≤0.05. Results: 15% is a risk consumer, and 18% is a harmful consumer or have a possible dependence. In students who drink, the variable family income is associated with the time of year of consumption and alcohol-related problems. Conclusion: There is a higher prevalence of male consumption and a high consumption of alcoholic beverages in both genders at any time of the year. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is independent of family income.