The prevalence of substance use among patients at a dental school clinic in Michigan

Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.