Drug Addiction and Oral Health; A Comparison of Hallucinogen and Non-Hallucinogen Drug Users

Objectives: Drug abuse is currently one of the most important health problems with an alarming prevalence all over the world. Cannabis resin seized in three countries of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan increased to 400 tons in 2012. Moreover, Iran is rated the fifth country with the highest amounts of amphetamine seized worldwide. Many studies have been conducted to evaluate complications of addiction to various illicit drugs including their effects on oral and dental health. The increasing prevalence of addiction to hallucinogen drugs led us to assess the complications associated with these drugs regarding oral health of the addicts. Study design: In this cross sectional study conducted in 2014, 304 drug abusers including 188 subjects (61.8%) addicted to hallucinogens and 116 (38.2%) to non-hallucinogens, referring to addiction rehabilitation center of Chitgar in Tehran were entered as the study population. Required information was gathered through a face to face interview with the subject and a thorough physical examination (stethoscope, digital caliper, explorer, periodontal probe) of the oral cavity. Results: Compared to non-hallucinogen addicts, hallucinogen users present with multiple oral-health-related complications including TMJ pain (P<0.001), sensitivity of chewing muscles (P=0.027) and cold and/or heat intolerance (P<0.001). Lichenoid (P=0.010) and hypertrophic lesions (P=0.022) were more prevalent among them. Mandible's range of motion (ROM) significantly decreased in these subjects (P<0.001) and the mean score of CPITN (P<0.001) and DMFT (P=0.012) indices were significantly higher. Conclusion: Hallucinogen and non-hallucinogen users both present several oral-health-related complications; however, the former shows significantly more problems. This finding highlights that hallucinogen abusers need more oral and dental examinations regularly because they are at higher risk of developing pathologic oral lesions.