A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between poor oral health and substance abuse

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Substance use disorders are associated commonly with comorbid physical illness. There are fewer data on dental disease in these conditions, in spite of high rates of dry mouth (xerostomia), as well as the associated indirect or life-style effects such as poverty and lack of access to care. We compared the oral health of people with substance use disorders (SUDs) with non-using controls. METHOD: This was a systematic search for studies from the last 35 years of the oral health of people reporting SUDs. We used MEDLINE, PsycInfo, OVID, Google Scholar, EMBASE and article bibliographies. Results were compared with the general population. Oral health was assessed in terms of ..