Oral health status and oral health behavior of substance abusers in Kerman city, Iran, in year 2016

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Drug addiction causes severe oral damage and the socio-economic problems. Prevention and treatment of oral and dental diseases among substance abusers may facilitate their rehabilitation procedure and recovery from drug dependence. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between drug abuse and oral health status and behavior in drug abusers in Kerman, Iran. METHODS: This study was carried out on 204 addicts admitted to rehabilitation centers and 197 healthy controls referred to the urban health centers in Kerman City. Multistage random sampling method was applied. Data were collected including demographic data, questions related to oral health behavior, clinical examination for assessment of decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT), Gingival Index (GI), and presence of oral lesions according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. T-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and chi-square test were used. P < 0.050 was considered as statistical significance. RESULTS: 193 patients (94.6%) were men and the rest were women with mean age of 37.72 ± 11.89 years. Opium was the most common drug (89.2%). Age of first use of narcotic material in 45.1% was 18-24 years old. Duration of narcotic drugs use in 35.3% was between 6-10 years. There was significant difference between addicted and healthy participants in oral health behavior, oral lesions, and mean scores of GI and DMFT. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that there was statistically significant difference between addicted and healthy groups in using dental floss, attendance to dentist, having oral lesions, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, and dental hypersensitivity.