Oral changes in cocaine abusers: an integrative review

INTRODUCTION: Cocaine is one of the most often used psychoactive drugs worldwide, being extracted from the leaves of Erytroxylus coca plant. Its abusive use can trigger several consequences for the human body, including the oral cavity. OBJECTIVE: To identify the oral disorders that are most commonly found in individuals who abuse cocaine, in addition to the main diagnostic and treatment methods. METHODS: An integrative review was carried out on the databases: LILACS, BBO, LIS, MEDLINE, SciELO, Science Direct and PubMed. The following keywords were used: “Cocaína”, “Boca”, “Palato” and “Odontologia”, together with their synonyms and variations in English, obtained from DeCS and MeSH. The inclusion criteria were original articles, articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish, studies involving individuals, without restriction related to the year of publication. Animal studies, literature reviews, book chapters, theses and dissertations were excluded. RESULTS: In total, 1373 records were identified. Of these, 22 articles were selected to comprise the review. Several oral alterations caused by cocaine abuse were found, primarily perforation of the palate, predisposition to periodontal diseases, temporomandibular disorders, bruxism, damage to oral tissues, dental caries, destructive lesions of the facial midline, xerostomia and ageusia. Among the diagnostic methods used by the professionals, anamnesis, intraoral examinations and head and neck computed tomography were the most frequently mentioned. As for treatment, in patients with palatal perforation, the reconstruction of the affected area or the use of prosthetic obturators is carried out. CONCLUSION: The management of these patients is not an easy task, as many of the users do not even seek professional help. The health professionals must be able to recognize these manifestations and alterations to establish timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.