Oral Consequences of ‘Meth Mouth’ Subject of New Study
Oral Consequences of ‘Meth Mouth’ Subject of New StudyLong term use of methamphetamine can cause a serious form of dental decay known as “meth mouth,” a condition characterized by severe dental caries that can lead to significant tooth loss. With
Oral Consequences of ‘Meth Mouth’ Subject of New Study
Long-term use of methamphetamine can cause a serious form of dental decay known as “meth mouth,” a condition characterized by severe dental caries that can lead to significant tooth loss. With government statistics pointing out widespread use of methamphetamine persists in the United States, an effort led by UCLA to study the oral and dental consequences of the drug’s use is receiving support through a $1.86 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at UCLA, Vivek Shetty, DDS, Dr.Med.Dent, is leading the study, which intends to deepen the understanding of the epidemiology of “meth mouth” and the factors connected to the rapid decay that marks the condition. “Our finding that dental disease is a prominent marker of methamphetamine use creates opportunities to implement targeted interventions in the dental office,” Shetty said in a news release.
An inadequate knowledge base about the drug’s oral health consequences has kept oral health care workers from being able to identify meth mouth in its early stages and enabling effective treatment of the condition, according to a statement from UCLA.
Funding from the NIH will help to characterize the oral disease burden of methamphetamine, Shetty explains, which in turn will support the position of dental professionals in detecting the drug’s use and in providing collaborative care for the drug’s users.
In an earlier report that appears in the March 2010 Journal of the American Dental Association, Shetty points out methamphetamine users may present as generally healthy individuals—except for the presence of overt dental disease.
In dental literature, oral indications of methamphetamine use include rampant caries, enamel erosion, xerostomia, bruxism and muscle trismus. Methamphetamine users also exhibit a characteristic pattern of caries that originates in the buccal smooth surface of posterior teeth and the interproximal of the anterior teeth. The process soon destroys the coronal portion of the tooth entirely.
Source: UCLA
