Tooth Decay in Alcohol Abusers Compared to Alcohol and Drug Abusers

Abstract

Alcohol and drug abuse are detrimental to general and oral health. Though we know the effects of these harmful habits on oral mucosa, their independent and combined effect on the dental caries experience is unknown and worthy of investigation. We compared 363 “alcohol only” abusers to 300 “alcohol and drug” abusers to test the hypothesis that various components of their dental caries experience are significantly different due to plausible sociobiological explanations. After controlling for the potential confounders, we observe that the “alcohol and drug” group had a 38% higher risk of having decayed teeth compared to the “alcohol only” group (P < .05). As expected, those who belonged to a higher social class (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.43–2.75) and drank wine (OR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.16–2.96) had a higher risk of having more filled teeth. We conclude that the risk of tooth decay among “alcohol only” abusers is significantly lower compared to “alcohol and drug” abusers.

A Comparison of Methamphetamine Users to a Matched NHANES Cohort: Propensity Score Analyses for Oral Health Care and Dental Service Need

“…7 Drug, alcohol, and tobacco users have a higher incidence of oral conditions including oral candidiasis, periodontal problems, stomatitis and precancerous lesions. 8 In a study comparing “alcohol abusers only” to “alcohol and drug abusers,” Dasanayake et al 9 found that the alcohol and drug group had a 38% higher risk of having decayed teeth compared to the alcohol only group. Even among drug abusers with satisfactory oral hygiene, drug use has been associated with greater dental decay.…”

Oral Changes For Poly Drug Users: Multicenter Study

“…A study that evaluated the risk of caries among addicts who used only alcohol (n = 363) and those who use alcohol together with other drugs, especially marijuana, heroin and cocaine (n = 300), found that the group using alcohol and other drugs had 38% higher risk of having carious teeth compared to the group that consumed only alcohol (p<0.05) [23].…”

Self-Reported Oral Health Needs and Dental-Care Seeking Behavior Among Women Who Use Methamphetamine

“…The high degree of polysubstance abuse in our sample makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the causative effects of methamphetamine use on oral health as alcohol, cocaine, and opiate use have all been associated with poor oral health (Abdollahi & Radfar, 2003;Brand, Gonggrijp, & Blanksma, 2008;Dasanayake et al, 2010;Rosenstein, 1975). Furthermore, more than half of our sample considered themselves homeless, which is a well-established predictor of increased oral health needs and low care utilization rates (Conte, Broder, Jenkins, Reed, & Janal, 2006;Gelberg, Linn, & Rosenberg, 1988;King & Gibson, 2003).…”