Oral health status of heroin users in a rehabilitation centre in Hubei province, China.
OBJECTIVE
To report on the oral health of heroin users and to determine risk factors for oral health status.


METHODS
All heroin users at one rehabilitation camp received an interview using a pre-tested questionnaire from one of three trained interviewers and a dental examination using World Health Organization recommended procedures from one of three calibrated dentists.


METHODS
Interviews and examinations were carried out at Hubei Province camp.


METHODS
All 520 resident heroin users at the camp participated in the study.


METHODS
Oral hygiene expressed using the Debris Index; caries status by DMFT; periodontal status by percentage with bleeding, pocketing and calculus; mucosal status using standard World Health Organization criteria.


RESULTS
One hundred (19%) of the heroin users were caries free; their mean DMFT was 4.2. The majority (92%) of the DMFT was decay and only a small proportion (8%) was treatment related. The proportion of heroin users with bleeding, calculus, shallow pocketing and deep pocketing was 42%, 95%, 42% and 8% respectively. The mean Debris Index score was 3.2. Mucosal lesions were present in 31 subjects (6%). Using multivariate analysis, duration of heroin use and education were risk factors for DMFT, route of drug administration was a risk factor for calculus and gender was a risk factor for deep pocketing.


CONCLUSIONS
There are indications of poorer periodontal health as well as higher caries experience in this group when compared to provincial dental epidemiological data. Mucosal lesions were not widely prevalent. Both social factors and characteristics of drug use were related to oral health in this group.
Du
M
M
Department of Preventive Dentistry, College and Hospital of Stomatology, Hubei Medical University, Wuhan City, PR China.
Bedi
R
R
Guo
L
L
Champion
J
J
Fan
M
M
Holt
R
R
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004245:DMF Index; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D009909:Oral Health; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation
D003932:Heroin