FOUR EFFECTS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE ON DENTAL HEALTH

"A staggering 271 million (roughly 4%) of the world's population aged between 15 and 64 have
suffered from substance abuse and only 1 in 7 undergo treatment." — This is what leading
global health organizations have to say for the generation of today. Many have dictated on the
ill-effects of substance abuse on the mind, but the dental health that substance abuse threatens
is another fatal blow to the lifeline of dental organs.

The substance abuse causes haphazard havoc to the dental life of the patients. The damage, if
not treated at the right time, in most of the cases, turns to perils that are often times more life-
threatening than the substance abuse. The abuse causes 4 major concerns for the dental care
that are :

1. Dry Mouth :
The drug use renders the abuser's mouth dry and it jeopardises the ability of producing
saliva. This is a highly hazardous symptom of drug abuse and it leads to gradual dental
degeneration. No saliva leads to more acid reflux, hence corroding the teeth and gums.

2. Physical damage to teeth and gums :

Stimulant drug users tend to go through a state wherein they have no control over their
bodies. The stimulants cause various nervous impulsions that usually leads to teeth
clenching and grinding. This physical stress on dental organs causes their deterioration
over a period of time. These actions even result in reduced supply of blood to the gums.
A side product is the mutilation of the jawline structure which results in faulty deformation
of the jawline.
 3. Infection of lethal bacteria and cancer causing agents :
Substance abusers are prone to fall prey to the fatal ulcers or sores that form over time
in the mouth and are initial symptoms of terminal disorders. These ulcers/sores cause a
defect in the nutritional system since the patients are imposed with the incapacities to
eat conventionally. Thus, the nutritional deficiency also leads to impairment of various
functions in the body starting with those of the guns and enamel.

4. Cultivation of detrimental diseases like endocarditis :

The direct threats are reserved by the endocarditis and the periodontal diseases. Long
time abusers are a witness to the horror wherein an infection of the heart’s inner lining
occurs. This is due to the bacteria from the mouth spreading through the bloodstream
and attaching itself to the heart. Research even links cardiovascular diseases and
clogged arteries to substance abuse's effects in the mouth.

Devised research has been able to identify common causes of the above mentioned concerns
and most of the identified causes are infamous drugs and alcohol that hold a large stake in the
market. Various such substances/drugs like meth, cocaine, cigarettes, tobacco, opium, heroin,
marijuana etc are all adversaries to the development and maintenance of a healthy dental
system.

Terminal damage to dental structure often results in a hard time rehabilitating and makes it
difficult to come to terms with the condition. Help and support to overcome substance abuse is
available on the large, and seeking it is growing towards a healthy life. To end our journey on a
light note, I quote Miguel De Cervantes – "Every tooth in a man's head is more valuable than a
diamond."
Photo credits : Google Images

Reference links :

● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4453891/

1. www.addictionjournal.org/press-releases/review-confirms-link-between-drug-use-and-
poor-dental-health-
2. https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/drug-abuse-mouth