Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2026
Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Associations Between Cannabis Use, Methylphenidate Exposure, and Radiographically Detected Pulp Stones: An
Michael Saminsky1, Aliya Ben-David1, Evgenia Balaban2
1Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology, Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, tau.ac.il.
Aims:
This exploratory study investigated the associations between cannabis use, methylphenidate (MPH) exposure, demographic factors, and radiographically detected pulp stones.
Materials And Methods:
A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the records of 200 adults (100 with pulp stones and 100 controls) treated at a university dental clinic (2020-2023). The variables included age, sex, cannabis use, MPH use, tobacco smoking, and clenching/grinding behaviors. Analyses included Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariable logistic regression with Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) correction.
Results:
Cannabis use showed the strongest independent association with radiographic pulp stones (OR = 6.54, 95% CI: 1.95-21.95; BH-corrected p = 0.012). Age was also independently associated (OR = 1.08/year; BH-corrected p = 0.035). MPH use was associated with pulp stones on unadjusted analysis (OR = 2.3, p = 0.042), but not after adjustment (OR = 1.72; BH-corrected p = 0.232). MPH users demonstrated significantly higher rates of documented clenching/grinding behaviors than nonusers (41.7% vs. 23.8%; p = 0.038). Tobacco smoking was not associated with the presence of pulp stones.
Conclusions:
Cannabis use was the strongest independent factor associated with radiographically detected pulp stones. MPH users showed higher rates of clenching/grinding behaviors, supporting a possible mechanistic relationship between psychostimulant exposure and parafunctional activity. The findings should be considered exploratory and hypothesis-generating.
Clinical Significance:
Pulp stones may be radiographic indicators of underlying parafunctional activity and behavioral risk factors, supporting more comprehensive dental history-taking and monitoring strategies.
