Dental health and access to dental treatment: a comparison of drug users and non-drug users attending community pharmacies

Sheridan, Janie; Aggleton, Mark; Carson, Tony

doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4801206

Cited by 46 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Because only the worst condition was recorded in every zone, some periodontal conditions may have been overestimated, especially the probing bleeding, which may have been overestimated by as much as 50%. However, other reports have indicated that gingival bleeding was observed in most illegal drug users [18,19]. Thus, while there may have been some overestimation in this investigation, the periodontal condition of the subjects was poorer than the general population.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 53%

The poor oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in a Chinese city

Shi

et al. 2012

Med Sci Monit

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryBackgroundThere have been few studies conducted on the oral health status of illegal drug users in China, affecting the development of preventive and therapeutic approaches. The aim of the present study was to investigate and analyze the oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China.Material/MethodsThe presence of caries (decayed tooth and root), missing teeth, residual roots, dental prosthetic restoration and periodontal health were investigated in 445 former heroin users treated with methadone (317 males and 128 females). Their ages ranged from 20 to 59 years old.ResultsAmong the study subjects, the prevalence of decayed/filled teeth was 64.72%, and the mean of decayed/filled teeth score was 2.92. The prevalence of decayed/filled roots was 21.80%, and the mean of decayed/filled roots score was 0.62. The prevalence of missing teeth was 31.46%, and the mean missing teeth score was 0.62. The prevalence of residual roots was 42.02%, with a mean score of 1.06. The rates of gingival bleeding, calculus, shallow pockets periodontal pocket, and deep periodontal pocket were 99.55%, 96.63%, 30.34%, and 2.70%, respectively.ConclusionsThe oral health status among the studied former heroin users in Chengdu was poorer than the general population. Better dental care for the former heroin users is needed to promote their oral health.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 53%

The poor oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in a Chinese city

Shi

et al. 2012

Med Sci Monit

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We recruited patients with alcohol and drug psychoses whose oral health was presumably worse than that of those with substance use disorder alone. Despite the higher rates of dental problems among people with alcohol/drug use disorder, they receive less dental care [48]. Potential contributing factors to this dental care under-utilization include: the lifestyle of people with alcohol/drug use disorder is chaotic, which makes scheduling and adhering to regularly scheduled dental check-ups difficult [49]; those who use some illicit drugs (such as opiates) may feel no pain related to the dental problem, and so delay visiting the dentist; dental treatment is given a low priority due to the lack of expendable income [48]; dentists may be hesitant about providing services to those with substance use disorder [50].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilization of dental care among patients with severe mental illness: a study of a National Health Insurance database

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe oral health of patients with severe mental illness is poor, in general, and this may be attributed, in part, to inadequate dental care. This study investigated dental care utilization among patients with severe mental illness using a national representative sample.MethodsThis study used Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Dataset for 2009. Patients with the diagnosis of severe mental illness (ICD-9-CM: 290–298) were recruited as the study sample, and others comprised the control. Any visit to a dentist was defined as positive in terms of dental care utilization. Regression analyses were applied to determine the odds of dental care utilization for each diagnostic entity of severe mental illness, compared with the general population and controlling for potential covariates.ResultsOnly 40 % of 19,609 patients with severe mental illness visited the dentist within 12 months. This was significantly lower than the dental visit rate of 48.3 % for the control population (odds ratio [OR] = .72, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = .69–.74; P <0.0001). The odds of dental care utilization differed among the severe mental illness diagnostic categories; e.g., the odds were lowest among those with alcohol psychoses (OR = .54, CI = .43–.68), senile dementia (OR = .55, CI = .52–.59) and other organic psychoses (OR = .58, CI = .52–.65), and highest among those with mood disorder (OR = .89, CI = .85–.94), with schizophrenic patients occupying a mid-level position (OR = .63, CI = .59–.67).ConclusionsPatients with severe mental illness received less dental care than the general population. Health care providers and caregivers of patients with severe mental illness should encourage them to visit the dentist regularly, in order to improve the oral health of these vulnerable patient groups.

show abstract

“…Individuals with heavy substance use are at increased risk for poor oral health for a variety of reasons, including limited access to dental care (Johnson, Hearn, & Barker, 2008; Khocht, Schleifer, Janal, & Keller, 2009; Sheridan, Aggleton, & Carson, 2001; ter Horst, Molendijk, Brouwer, & Verhey, 1996), poor dietary (Laslett, Dietze, & Dwyer, 2008; Morio, Marshall, Qian, &Morgan, 2008; Titsas and Ferguson, 2002) and oral hygiene habits (Barbadoro, Lucrezi, Prospero, & Annino, 2008; Friedlander, Marder, Pisegna, & Yagiela, 2003; Morio et al, 2008), negative attitudes about oral health and health care (Robinson, Acquah, & Gibson, 2005), and direct physical effects of the substance on oral health. There are several mechanisms by which drugs can directly affect oral health, including increased xerostomia (dry mouth) due to hyposalivation (lack of salivary flow), poor diet and self-care leading to higher rates of dental caries, enamel erosion, and periodontal disease (Friedlander et al, 2003; Hamamoto and Rhodus, 2009; Morio et al, 2008; Versteeg, Slot, van der Velden, & van der Weijden, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most studies that have examined oral health among substance users are cross-sectional or case studies and have assessed only one type of substance (Araujo et al, 2004; Hornecker et al, 2003; Khocht et al, 2009; Manarte et al, 2009; Morio et al, 2008; Versteeg et al, 2008; Shetty et al, 2010) and include small samples (Araujo et al, 2004; Johnson et al, 2008; Khocht et al, 2009; Morio et al, 2008; Robinson et al, 2005; Sheedy, 1996). Many studies and reviews that have addressed the issue of substance use and oral health were conducted internationally, with little work focused in the United States, where the stigma of substance use and perceptions of and access to treatment for oral health may be different (Barbadoro et al, 2008; Blanksma and Brand, 2004; Cho, Hirsch, & Johnstone, 2005; Johnson et al, 2008; Laslett et al, 2008; Molendijk, Ter Horst, Kasbergen, Truin, & Mulder, 1996; Pilinova, Krutina, Salandova & Pilin, 2003; Reece, 2007; Robinson et al, 2005; Sheridan et al, 2001; ter Horst et al, 1996). Understanding how specific types of substances affect oral health can potentially help target interventions to certain groups at risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oral health of substance-dependent individuals: Impact of specific substances

D'Amore

Cheng

Kressin

et al. 2011

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Little is known about how different types of substances affect oral health. Our objective was to examine the respective effects of alcohol, stimulants, opioids, and marijuana on oral health in substance-dependent persons. Using self-reported data from 563 substance-dependent individuals, we found that most reported unsatisfactory oral health, with their most recent dental visit more than 1 year ago. In multivariable logistic regressions, none of the substance types were significantly associated with oral health status. However, opioid use was significantly related to a worse overall oral health rating compared to 1 year ago. These findings highlight the poor oral health of individuals with substance dependence and the need to address declining oral health among opioid users. General health and specialty addiction care providers should be aware of oral health problems among these patients. In addition, engagement into addiction and medical care may be facilitated by addressing oral health concerns.

show abstract

Dental health and access to dental treatment: a comparison of drug users and non-drug users attending community pharmacies

Cited by 46 publications

References 16 publications

The poor oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in a Chinese city

The poor oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in a Chinese city

Utilization of dental care among patients with severe mental illness: a study of a National Health Insurance database

Oral health of substance-dependent individuals: Impact of specific substances

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About