Drug addiction and dental care

Patients who are addicted to drugs, or are being treated for drug addiction, present a variety of management issues when they attend for dental care. A number of factors are related to the treatment planning and clinical management. Dentists should be aware of these factors in order to manage these patients sensitively and effectively. Important management issues include medical problems associated with drug abuse, dental problems and how drug abuse and its subsequent treatment affect the dentition, behavioural disorders, pain management, and control of cross-infection. People who have recovered from chemical dependency to opiates have special needs, especially in pain management. Establishing a good pre-treatment rapport with the patient will assist the dentist in reducing the need for postoperative analgesics, and will encourage this group of patients to return and obtain needed dental care. The more dental practitioners know about types and patterns of drug abuse and recovery programmes, the more safely this group of patients with special needs can be managed.