Illicit Drug Use Leads to Declining Oral Health

Illicit Drug Use Leads to Declining Oral Health

The relationship between illicit drug use and oral health is oddly predictable: Substance abuse tends to foretell the decline of oral health. This notion has been reinforced by a recent study in which individuals who had substance dependence problems reported having poor oral health. In fact, a research team from Boston University (BU) reports that opioid users, in particular, exhibit a crash in their oral health when measured over a 1-year period.

A BU team composed of public health, dental medicine, and internal medicine faculty investigated the effects on oral health created by a wide swath of substances, including alcohol, stimulants, opioids and marijuana. The study subjects provided self-reports of their oral health status according to a 5-point scale that ranged from “poor” to “excellent.” Results of the study, which appear online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, showed that 60 percent of test subjects classified their oral health as “fair” or “poor.” Based on statistical analysis of the patients’ reports, researchers noted no significant association between the types of substances used and oral health status.

Remarking on the finding that the majority of subjects had reported fair or poor oral health, Meredith D’Amore, MPH, a researcher in the Health/care Disparities Research Program at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, noted, “Oral health should be considered a significant health problem among individuals with substance dependence issues, and [care] providers should be aware of potential oral health issues.”