Oral and General Health Implications of Alcoholism: A review of the literature

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this narrative review of the literature was to examine the current evidence on alcoholism and the consequences on oral and general health, in addition to implications to enhance dental hygiene practice for individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Methods The search was developed for Medline (via Ovid) and then translated to Cinahl, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection. Search results were limited to 2016-present, humans, and English language. Results were exported to EndNote 21 (Clarivate Analytics) for deduplication and uploaded to Rayyan for screening. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts against the inclusion criteria and conflicts were discussed until consensus. A second set of reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, conflicts were discussed until consensus.

Results Of the 406 articles, 383 were excluded. A total of 23 articles were included and categorized into five domains: general health (n=6), screening tools and education (n=5), oral health (n=4), periodontal diseases and conditions (n=4), and cancer (n=4). General health conditions identified included: cardiovascular events, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, injuries sustained from traffic accidents, and secondary cancers. Microbial dysbiosis was identified in the gut microbiome, respiratory tract and oral/gut. Oral conditions included: AUD risk of poor oral hygiene, bruxism symptoms/tooth wear, necrotizing periodontal diseases and peri-implant disease. The AUDIT-C was found to be a reliable screening tool to identify patients at risk of hazardous alcohol consumption in the dental setting.

Conclusion Excessive alcohol consumption increases morbidity and mortality risk due to the association of chronic health conditions, inflammation and secondary cancers.