title: A pilot study on the oral conditions of severely alcohol addicted persons.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the oral status, drinking, smoking, and oral hygiene habits of alcoholics. One hundred severely addicted alcoholics were examined during the in-patient treatment for detoxification (mean age: 44 years; 68 males/32 females) The study included a questionnaire and an oral examination that measured DMF-T, QHI, PBI, and CPI. The majority of alcoholics were heavy smokers (>30 cigarettes/day). Fifty-two percent of the alcoholics stated they frequently forgot to brush their teeth and 43% observed bleeding of their gums. The mean DMF-T was 20 (2 D-T, 9 M-T, 9 F-T), the mean QHI was 2.4, and the mean PBI was 1.8. Forty-nine percent of the sextants were scored CPI 3 or 4; about 25% were edentulous (CPI X). Our results indicate severe alcoholics have a high risk of periodontal break down and tooth loss. To what extent these findings were caused by general/oral neglect alone (in combination with nicotine abuse) is at present unknown.
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontology in the Department of Operative Dentistry, Preventive Dentistry and Periodontology at the University of Goettingen, Germany. else.hornecker@med.uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: Else
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hornecker
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muuss
authors.forename: Hannelore
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehrenreich
authors.forename: Rainer F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Mausberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000209:etiology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data