The oral health of street-recruited injecting drug users: prevalence and correlates of problems.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of a series of injecting drug users' (IDU) characteristics and drug use behaviours upon the self-reported oral health of a sample of IDU.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Melbourne, Australia.


METHODS
A total of 285 IDU recruited through needle and syringe programmes, snowballing and outreach across six sites.


METHODS
Structured survey that collected information on current drug use patterns, self-reported blood-borne virus status and general health factors, including open-ended questions on past-year dental health problems.


RESULTS
Sixty-eight per cent of the sample reported dental problems that were commonly severe and caused dental pain. Despite these reported problems, almost half the sample had not visited the dentist in the 12 months prior to the survey. Participants who were older, and reported homelessness, not eating every day and more common injection of amphetamines rather than heroin in the previous month, were more likely to report having a past-year dental problem.


CONCLUSIONS
Dental problems in IDUs are common but few receive treatment. Further, those using amphetamines, with poor housing, hygiene and poor nutrition, are most at risk. Programmes designed to improve the oral health of IDU need to be developed and implemented in a manner amenable to the varying social circumstances of this marginalized group in the community.
Laslett
Anne-Marie
AM
Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. annel@turningpoint.org.au
Dietze
Paul
P
Dwyer
Robyn
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult