Dental News - Scientists find a link between improved oral care and substance abuse recovery

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 22. May 2019

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SALT LAKE CITY, U.S.: Research indicates that people who suffer from substance use disorder (SUD) generally have poor oral health, which also damages interpersonal skills and results in poor nutrition, increased oral and general infections, and debilitating oral pain. A team of researchers at the University of Utah School of Dentistry have explored the effect of complementary comprehensive oral care as part of a more holistic approach to SUD treatment and found that better oral health may improve substance abuse therapy results.

Between 2015 and 2017, the researchers collaborated with two substance use treatment centers in Salt Lake City to develop the FLOSS (Facilitating a Lifetime of Oral Health Sustainability for Substance Use Disorder Patients and Families) program. After one to two months at an SUD treatment facility, 158 self-selected male or 128 randomly selected sex-mixed patients aged 20–50 years with major dental needs received integrated comprehensive dental treatment. The SUD treatment outcomes for both groups were then compared with those of matched patients similarly treated for SUDs but with no comprehensive oral health care.

After the treatment, the research team conducted a retrospective study of the data to explore the role of comprehensive oral care in helping patients complete their substance use programs. The study reported that participants who had their major oral health problems addressed by a dental professional stayed in treatment approximately twice as long and had a more than 80 percent increase in completing their substance abuse treatment program. Therefore, the researchers believe that providing complete oral care as part of therapy is critical to resurrecting self-esteem and restoring important body functions.

“There is a powerful synergism between oral health care and substance use disorder,” said lead author Dr. Glen R. Hanson, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the university. “Those who received comprehensive dental care had a better quality of life as measured by substantial improvements in employment and drug abstinence as well as a dramatic decrease in homelessness.”

“The experience is life-changing not only for the patients but also dental providers such as dental students who now know how their work can dramatically alter their patients’ lives,” Hanson said. “I think if we do the same thing for patients experiencing other chronic health problems, like diabetes, we could see similar positive results for treatment outcomes,” he concluded.

The study, titled “Comprehensive oral care improves treatment outcomes in male and female patients with high-severity and chronic substance use disorders,” was published online on May 20, 2019, in the Journal of the American Dental Association, ahead of inclusion in an issue.

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