Oral Manifestations of Drug Abuse: A Review of Literature

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances is an ancient fact in human history that has become a public health problem. Recognizing the severity of oral problems related to drug abuse and in view of the importance of the contribution of Dentistry in this theme, it became pertinent to perform a literature review on oral manifestations resulting from drug use. A literature review of articles published between 1991 and 2019 was performed, mainly through MEDLINE and LILACS, using as descriptors "oral manifestations" , "drugs of abuse" , "oral disorders" . We selected 41 articles related to the theme. There was a high prevalence of oral lesions among drug users in relation to the general population. Among the most frequent oral manifestations are caries, periodontitis, xerostomia, leukoplakia. The abuse of drugs can cause the most diverse damages to the oral health. Dental surgeons, when aware of the oral manifestation / drug abuse relationship, can play an active role in identifying and treating drug addicts.

Adolescencia y consumo de sustancias: Abordaje odontológico

“…Por último, los sintéticos como la metadona, fentanilo y anfetaminas, se obtienen mediante procesos de síntesis en laboratorio. 5 Las preparaciones de cannabis se obtienen de la planta Cannabis sativa. Existen tres principales formas de consumo de cannabis: marihuana, hashish y aceite de hashish, siendo la marihuana la forma más común y con menos concentración.…”

“…Las lesiones de caries generalmente afectan las superficies cervicales e interproximales de los dientes. 5,23 Por otro lado, se pueden desarrollar abrasiones y laceraciones gingivales como resultado de un cepillado dental intenso cuando los adolescentes están bajo el efecto de las drogas. Otras manifestaciones orales son parestesia de labios causada por el consumo de éxtasis, agrandamiento de las glándulas salivales y reflujo gastroesofágico asociados con el alcoholismo.…”

Exploring the diversity of uncommon oral yeast species and associated risk factors among substance abusers in southwestern Iran

“…Addiction is a persistent condition characterized by the compulsive use of drugs despite negative consequences, which presents a major threat to both individuals and societies. Today, addiction is considered as a major public health concern due to its association with a range of adverse health outcomes and infections 8 . People with substance use disorders (SUD) are more vulnerable to oral yeast infections due to factors such as compromised oral hygiene, immunosuppression, malnutrition, and interactions between substances and oral microorganisms 9 , 10 .…”

Frequency of Candida species in the oral cavity of narcotics and stimulants smokers in Isfahan, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method

“…[ 7 8 ] One of the important underlying factors which lead to candidiasis is addiction. [ 9 10 ] Addiction to drugs is defined as the condition in which the drug abusers restrict their goals to searching for the drugs, its abuse and enjoying it, as well as continuing all these, although their undesirable and troublesome side effects. Indeed, addiction is a chronic, progressive, reversible, and destructive disease that creates many structural and functional changes in the brain and affects all aspects of the drug abusers', their families, and relatives' lives.…”

“…[ 16 17 ] The previous studies depicted that oral lesions were more prevalent in drug users compared to the general public. [ 10 ] There is a long and recognized relationship between addiction and an increase in the level of infection, including fungal infections. [ 18 19 ] Concerning the current claims, with weakening the immune system, addiction provides conditions for the development of chronic infections such as oral thrush or candidiasis.…”