Elsevier

Dental Abstracts

Volume 63, Issue 1, January–February 2018, Pages 29-30
Dental Abstracts

Hands On
Understanding what causes meth mouth

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.denabs.2017.09.022Get rights and content

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Background

Both clinical and media coverage of the negative effects of methamphetamine (meth) use emphasize the rampant dental disease that seems to accompany habitual use. However, the fact that most of these reports are anecdotal and lack any empirical basis has led to questions about the scientific basis for what is termed “meth mouth.” The causal mechanisms underlying the extreme dental disease seen in people who habitually use meth were sought, with the goal of better understanding the phenomenon and

Methods

The data were collected from 571 study participants who used meth and compared to data from demographically similar control participants chosen from the population of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Most of the study sample were men (460 of 571), 241 were African-American, 178 were Hispanic, and 401 had completed high school. Mean age was 44.5 years. One hundred forty-seven were HIV positive, and 391 were current cigarette smokers. One hundred ninety-two took

Results

Based on participants' self-reports, 64% used meth an average of 15 or more days each month and most had used it for at least 10 preceding months. Meth users reported their average age of initiation into meth use was 28.5 years. The majority (53%) exclusively used smoking as their mode of meth use.

When the meth users were compared to the control participants, xerostomia was significantly more prevalent among the meth users (65.7% versus 7.2%). Most study participants reported mild (27.6%) or

Discussion

Study participants who used meth had higher rates of xerostomia and caries than control participants. Those who used meth also consumed more sugary drinks each day than controls, and even low sugary drink consumption rates were related to a higher caries rate. Smoking meth did not increase the rates of caries or xerostomia in study participants who used other methods of taking meth. For study participants who used meth, oral health behaviors were important factors in the development of dental

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Clague J, Belin TR, Shett V: Mechanisms underlying methatmphetamine-related dental disease. J Am Dent Assoc 148:377-386, 2017

Reprints available from J Clague, School of Dentistry, Univ of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Box 951668, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1668; e-mail: [email protected]

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