Abstract :
The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status of male Saudi drug abusers and to determine the prevalence of dental diseases among this group. Four hundred sixty-seven male drug abusers housed in three narcotic addict rehabilitation centers in Saudi Arabia were interviewed and their drug addiction and oral health status were investigated. Their oral health status was evaluated using the World Health Organization recommended procedures for decayed, missing, filled teeth and the periodontal status. The age range of the study group was 15-66 years with a mean age of 30.3 years and the majority (59.1%) were of younger age with low social and economic status and the level of education was relatively low. The drug abuse experience ranged from 1-35 years and the majority were alcoholic (42.8%) and amphetamine users (41%). The use of oral substances such as alcohol and recreational drugs was very common (66.2%) and more than 50% of the participants practiced the habit for more than 7 times per week and many of them used more than one drug. The oral hygiene measures declined and almost one third of the participants stopped tooth brushing as soon as they became addicts. The mean DMFT value was 10.63 (±6.8). Analysis of the index into its individual components showed that the mean decay value formed the largest component of the index (7.1) while the mean filled tooth value was nearly one. Dental caries was recorded in 70.7% of the subjects. They presented as smooth and cervical caries and the mean prevalence of occlusal and surface caries was almost equal. The mean Oral Hygiene Index (OHI) was 2.42 and more than 50% of the participants presented with calculus deposition. The mean Community Periodontal Index (CPI) was 1.63 and approximately more than 50% of the subjects had periodontal pocketing of 4 mm and over in depth. The ral health in general was poor among the drug abusers who were of low socioeconomic groups and with low education. Although deterioration of oral heath is multifactorial, the effects of drug abuse cannot be overlooked in the study of this high risk group.
