Self-reported periodontitis in cannabis club members in Montevideo, Uruguay. An exploratory study

Abstract

In 2013, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay enacted a law regulating the cannabis market, and since then, an increasing number of users has been registered. Previous reports based on data from other countries link cannabis smokers to worse periodontal health status. The aim of this study is to describe self-reported gingival and periodontal health status and estimate the prevalence of periodontitis among Uruguayan cannabis club members. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of cannabis club members in Uruguay. A survey was used to gather sociodemographic data and information on oral hygiene, use of cannabis and other drugs, and self-reported gingival and periodontal health status. Eight questions validated in Spanish were used to estimate the prevalence of total periodontitis and severe periodontitis, based on two previously implemented predictive models. The survey was completed by 50 people, of whom 68% were male and 78% were in the 20-40 year age range. Based on the first model, estimated prevalence was 12% for total periodontitis and 10% for severe periodontitis. Based on the second model, estimated prevalence was 36% for total periodontitis and 12% for severe periodontitis. These findings suggest that smoking cannabis could potentially have a detrimental effect on oral health status.