title: The prevalence of substance use among patients at a dental school clinic in Michigan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Problematic alcohol use and illicit drug use are associated with a number of physical health consequences, including poor oral health. The authors evaluate the prevalence of problematic alcohol use and illicit drug use in adults who visited a dental school clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors recruited patients from the waiting area of the clinic. During recruitment, 85.9 percent of patients (n = 384) who the authors approached consented to participate in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 20.6 percent of the participants reported either recent problematic alcohol use or illicit drug use; 7.4 percent of reported problematic alcohol use and 18.6 percent reported illicit drug use. The most common illicit drugs participants reported that they used were marijuana (16.8 percent), amphetamines (2.6 percent) and cocaine (1.1 percent). Participants who reported recent problematic alcohol use or illicit drug use were more likely to identify as white, were younger and did not have a spouse or partner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high prevalence of illicit drug use and problematic alcohol use among the patients seen at dental school clinic. These rates were higher than those in the general population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that dental clinics are appropriate settings in which to identify and provide interventions for adults at risk of experiencing problems due to alcohol or drug use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Mich 48109-2700, USA. marki@umich.edu
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilgen
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kleinberg
authors.forename: Amy S B
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bohnert
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Frederic C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Blow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003740:Dental Clinics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult