PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Boyer, E. Marcia
AU  - Thompson, Nancy
AU  - Hill, Tracy
AU  - Zimmerman, M. Bridget
TI  - The Relationship between Methamphetamine Use and Dental Caries and Missing Teeth
DP  - 2015 Apr 01
TA  - American Dental Hygienists Association
PG  - 119--131
VI  - 89
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jdh.adha.org/content/89/2/119.short
4100  - http://jdh.adha.org/content/89/2/119.full
SO  - J Dent Hyg2015 Apr 01; 89
AB  - Purpose: This study examined the relationship between methamphetamine use and oral health status. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected in 1998 from 174 newly admitted prisoners in Iowa. Oral examinations identified dental caries and missing teeth, and personal interviews identified methamphetamine use and covariates. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses, including testing for interaction effects, were used to examine the effects of methamphetamine use on oral health status. Results: Multivariate regression analyses for carious teeth and surfaces showed significant interaction effects: methamphetamine*race/ethnicity (carious teeth: p=0.039; surfaces: p=0.023) and methamphetamine*tooth brushing when on drugs (carious teeth: p=0.044; surfaces: p=0.035). Methamphetamine use had a significant effect on dental caries among Non-Whites and among those who brushed their teeth less than once a day when on drugs. Soda consumption (carious teeth: p=0.026; surfaces: p=0.030) and reason for last dental visit (carious teeth: p=0.025; surfaces: p=0.011) were also associated with caries. For missing teeth there was a significant methamphetamine*race/ethnicity interaction (p=0.028) among Whites who used methamphetamine compared to Whites who did not use methamphetamine. Age (p=0.0001) and reason for last dental visit (p=0.0001) were also associated with missing teeth. Conclusion: The effect of methamphetamine use on missing teeth was moderated by race/ethnicity,; while its effect on dental caries was moderated by race/ethnicity and tooth brushing when on drugs.