Under the influence: informing oral health care providers about substance abuse

Treating the drug addicted dental patient is different than treating the non-addicted patient due to differences related to the emotional/behavioral/personality issues of the addict, the addict's often poor general health and poor nutrition, ongoing problems of oral hygiene and the effects of drugs on the oral mucosa, gingiva and dentition

Oral health care providers need to be aware of the emerging trends in substance abuse, able to recognize patient's addicted to drugs and to be knowledgeable about the effects of substance abuse to provide the most efficacious treatment to avoid the consequences of contraindicated dental procedures and therapy. This article defines the scope of the problem of drug abuse and provides an overview of commonly abused substances and their effects on health and oral health.

A review of the literature combined with the authors' extensive experience in the substance abuse field explains parameters of oral health care treatment of the drug addicted individual for patient and provider safety.

The drug culture has evolved and the drug user is different. Oral health care providers need to realize that any patient may be an addict in order to identify them, provide appropriate oral care and direct them, if they desire, toward appropriate treatment.