Determinants of oral health in a group of Danish alcoholics

The purposes of this survey were to describe dental health in a group of alcoholics and to analyze the influence of social background, dental health behavior and alcohol-related variables on dental health among alcoholics. The dental health in a group of consecutively admitted alcoholics (n = 195) was described with respect to number of teeth present, DMFS, DS and the prevalence of dental erosion, removable dentures, edentulousness, and untreated dental decay. No major differences were found with respect to number of teeth and dental caries (DMFS), when compared to reference figures of the general population. As to untreated decay, however, 3-5 x more actual decayed surfaces were found among the alcoholics. In the multivariate analyses, neither DMFS, nor untreated decay were found to be associated with alcohol-related indicators. These variables were, however, related to variables of social background and dental health behavior. As to number of teeth present, an association was found with duration of alcoholism, but this relationship was eliminated, when the analysis was controlled with respect to social situation. In contrast, dental erosion was related to duration of alcoholism irrespective of confounding control of dental health behavior and social situation. Hence, the study indicates that oral health in alcoholics can be explained mainly by social situation and dental health behavior and not by variables associated directly with alcohol consumption. An exception was the presence of dental erosion, which was associated with the exposure to alcohol.