Oral health assessment for users of marijuana and cocaine/crack substances

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the oral healthstatus of users of illicit drugs such as marijuana and cocaine/crackand compare it with individuals not using these chemical substances.Questionnaires were applied to 35 illicit drugs users to gatherinformation on demographic status, general health, and use of drugs.Then, a clinical assessment of the oral health condition was performedto collect data on decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index,salivary flow rate (SFR), and mucosal lesions. The control group wascomposed of 35 non-illicit drug users. In the experimental group, 91.43%were males, 80% were smokers, and 42.85% were alcoholics. Cocainewas the most common drug used (77.15%), followed by marijuana(68.6%), and crack (51.4%). The average DMFT index was 9.8 and theSFR was reduced in 60% of subjects. Mucosal alterations were detected,but no potentially malignant disorders or oral cancer were diagnosed.Compared to control group, significantly higher values for gender(40%, p = 0.0001), smoking (22.86%) and heavy drinking (5.7%) habits(p = 0.0001), SFR (31.4%; p = 0.0308), and oral lesions (p = 0.0488) werefound for the experimental group, although significantly higher valueswere found in the control group for DMFT index (p = 0.0148). It canbe concluded that the use of illicit drugs contributed to an increasedprevalence of oral mucosa lesions. In addition, a decline on SFR and areduced DMFT index was observed for illicit drug users