Comparing the effect of photobiostimulation, pressure and topical anesthetic gel on reducing pain during maxillary infiltration injection: a clinical trial study.

In Australia, per capita alcohol consumption has increased since 2019 [], and alcohol use continues to be a significant concern for public health [, ], as drinking is linked to over 200 health conditions and increased healthcare costs []. Alcohol also has common and serious consequences for people affected by others' drinking, with these harms described as alcohol's harm to others (AHTO). AHTO is widespread and affects people of all ages, genders and societies [, , ]. AHTO includes: social problems; financial stress; disruptions in daily life due to caring for people who drink harmfully; and diminished health related quality of life [, , , , ]. Despite increased awareness of AHTO, we know little about the patterns and levels of drinking of alcohol consumers that are associated with increasing amounts and severity of harms experienced by others. Therefore, this study aims to examine the dose–response relationship between the drinking of the person causing harm (dose) and the harms experienced by the individual (response). A dose–response association has proven valuable for quantifying negative consequences from alcohol use. For example, studies have identified a dose–response relationship in the frequency of common alcohol‐related problems (e.g., absenteeism from work, involvement in physical fights, injury risk) that are proportional to annual volume of consumption of the person drinking [, ]. Similarly, higher alcohol use was associated with increased risk of aggressive incidents among psychiatric patients []. While the concept of a dose–response relationship between alcohol use and harm is well established, relatively few studies examine this in the context of AHTO. In this study, we use the term dose–response in the epidemiologic sense of a graded association between level of alcohol exposure and harm outcomes. The “dose” refers to the nominated drinker's alcohol consumption level and the “response” to the severity of harm experienced by the individual. A dose–response may arise because heavier alcohol consumption volumes increase exposure opportunities, while frequent heavy episodic drinking (HED) decreases intoxication‐related control and increases conflict escalation. Both may amplify the likelihood and breadth of harms. Rehm and colleagues argue that documented dose–response relationships provide vital information for policy and prevention measures to reduce harmful alcohol use []. For example, if dose–response relationships are demonstrated, especially if they are found to be steep or exponential, prevention measures targeting these specific levels of drinking should be more (cost‐)effective in preventing alcohol‐related consequences. In addition to examining the general dose–response relationship between alcohol use and AHTO, disparities in the dose–response relationship as a function of socio‐demographic indicators, particularly gender, should be examined. More harm from others' drinking is borne by women than by men [, , ]. A recent literature review showed that the influence of alcohol is greater in men‐to‐women partner violence than vice versa [], while a meta‐analysis showed that regardless of the sex of the perpetrator, the association between drug misuse and aggression is bigger for women who experience harm than for men []. Similarly, relationship context may influence the slope of harm exposure, but evidence about the different relationship types responsible for alcohol‐related harms by the drinkers in one's environment is scarce. While one study indicated that AHTO is most frequently perpetrated by friends [], specific harms such as physical injuries might be more commonly perpetrated by partners or ex‐partners. Finally, structural factors may influence the dose–response relationships. Younger people are more likely to be involved in heavy episodic or “binge” drinking []. Additionally, individuals in socio‐economically disadvantaged areas are disproportionally affected by alcohol use in general, as well as being disproportionally harmed per litre of alcohol consumed [, ]. Further, both individual‐level poverty [] and area‐level disadvantage [] are associated with increased risk of AHTO. This study also explores whether the dose–response relationship varies across respondent gender, age, socioeconomic status and/or geographic area (rural vs. urban).