Manifestaciones bucales y maxilofaciales en pacientes con adicción a las drogas

Abstract

The aim of this research was to characterize oral and maxillofacial manifestations in patients addicted to drugs. A descriptive field study was conducted. Thirty-two individuals attending voluntarily a rehabilitation center located in Zulia State, Venezuela, were selected. A survey and a clinical examination were conducted to determine the oral and maxillofacial manifestations. The average age of the subjects was 37.7, most of them being male. The most commonly used drugs were crack, followed by cocaine and marijuana. Regarding oral manifestations, the predominance of caries (87.5%) was observed, followed by the presence of signs of periodontal disease. These findings point to the poor oral care of the drugdependent subjects, which increases the risk of infectious processes, loss of dental organs, decrease of all functions and therefore leads to the deterioration in quality of life.