Oral health status and treatment needs of substance abusers in Western Uttar Pradesh

BACKGROUND: Substance abuse has often associated with high caries, poor periodontal health, and altered functioning of the individual. The substance abuse may be natural or synthetic in origin, both causing deleterious effect on the oral and overall health of the individual. AIM: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs of substance abusers attending deaddiction centers in Western Uttar Pradesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 substance abusers from 6 randomly selected deaddiction centers. The subjects were divided into four groups: Group 1, alcohol (A); Group 2, nicotine (N); Group 3, alcohol + nicotine (AN); and Group 4, other drugs (O). A demographic record along with full-mouth examination was recorded based on the World Health Organization pro forma. RESULTS: The overall results showed that out of the total participants, 144 had oral mucosal lesions. Alcohol group had significantly higher mean community periodontal index code 3 (pockets 4–5 mm) than the other groups (P < 0.05). The prevalence of decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) was 83.33%, and the mean DMFT of the alcohol group was significantly higher than the other combinations group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The oral health status of substance abusers was poor, with a large number of oral mucosal lesions. The dental caries status and periodontal status were the worst among the alcohol group.