The relationship between chronic cocaine or alcohol use and blood pressure in black men during uncomplicated tooth extraction

Abstract

Purpose: The object of this study was to determine whether a history of cocaine or alcohol use is associated with blood pressure changes in patients undergoing an uncomplicated mandibular molar extraction. Patients and Methods: The blood pressure (BP) values of middle-aged (30 to 40 years of age) black men with different chronic drug histories were compared during extraction procedures. The four different groups were 1) no-drug control, (n = 10); 2) alcohol (n = 15); 3) “crack” cocaine (n = 9); and 4) cocaine (n = 22). Results: The cocaine group's blood pressures were significantly different compared with the blood pressures within the no-drug and alcohol groups ( P < .05). The cocaine group's BPs decreased throughout the procedure, and the BPs of the no-drug and alcohol groups rose during administration of the local anesthetic and extraction, and then fell. The BPs of the crack group were highly variable and not significantly different when compared with other groups. Conclusion: There is a paradoxical effect of chronic cocaine use on blood pressure that needs to be considered when treating such patients.