Severe dental problems in otherwise healthy young people could be a sign of methamphetamine addiction, a new study suggests.

Researchers collected medical, oral health and substance use data from 300 methamphetamine-dependent adults and compared it with data from non-meth users from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

About 40% of meth users have serious dental problems, including more missing teeth than those who don't use the drug, according to the researchers, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

They also found that meth users who smoke or inhale the drug have lower rates of dental disease, compared to those who inject the drug and are more likely to have a severe addiction.

The finding that dental disease is a distinct marker of methamphetamine abuse means that dentists can play an important role in the early detection of drug abuse and in the collaborative care of meth users, the researchers said.

Meth Mouth Can Signal Addiction to Dentists

When otherwise healthy young people show up at the dentist with severe oral health problems, it should signal to the dentist that the patient may be addicted to methamphetamine. Patients who exhibit symptoms of "meth mouth" are more likely to be injection drug users, according to a new study.

The link between meth abuse and increase dental disease is no longer a myth, it has been documented by scientific research.

A new study, "The Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and Increased Dental Disease," published in The Journal of the American Dental Association is the first to directly link severe dental problems with methamphetamine abuse.

Early Detection Needed

Key findings of the research include:

• 40% of methamphetamine abusers have severe oral health problems.
• People who smoke or snort meth have fewer dental problems.
• Those who inject meth have more severe dental health problems.

The researchers write that dentists can help with early detection and intervention of meth abuse by detecting severe problems in otherwise healthy patients.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

^{Source: Shetty, V., et al. "The Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and Increased Dental Disease." The Journal of the American Dental Association March 2010.}