A Comparison of Methamphetamine Users to a Matched NHANES Cohort: Propensity Score Analyses for Oral Health Care and Dental Service Need

Dental problems are among the most frequently reported health issues of drug users. This study describes, among the largest population of methamphetamine (MA) users to date ( N  = 459, including both HIV-negative and HIV-positive participants) oral hygiene practice, dental care access, and dental qu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of behavioral health services & research 2016-10, Vol.43 (4), p.676-690
Main Authors: Murphy, Debra A., Harrell, Lauren, Fintzy, Rachel, Belin, Thomas R., Gutierrez, Alexis, Vitero, Steven J., Shetty, Vivek
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Adult
AIDS
Alcohol
Amphetamine-Related Disorders - complications
Biostatistics
Cardiovascular disease
Community and Environmental Psychology
Dental care
Dental health
Dental insurance
Dental treatment
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug use
Eating
Female
Health care
Health Informatics
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Health Psychology
Health services
Health Services Needs and Demand
Health services utilization
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Hygiene
Immune system
Infections
Life control
Male
Maxillofacial surgery
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental health
Methamphetamine
Mouth Diseases - etiology
Nutrition
Nutrition Surveys
Oral diseases
Oral Health
Oral hygiene
Population
Propensity Score
Psychiatry
Public Health
Quality of Life
Severity
Smoking
Statistical analysis
Teeth
Young Adult
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Summary:Dental problems are among the most frequently reported health issues of drug users. This study describes, among the largest population of methamphetamine (MA) users to date ( N  = 459, including both HIV-negative and HIV-positive participants) oral hygiene practice, dental care access, and dental quality of life. A matched control group from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was utilized. Findings conclusively establish that MA users have severe oral health deficits compared to the general population: they are 3.5 times more likely to experience painful toothaches, 6.6 times to experience difficulty eating, and 8.6 times to be self-conscious due to dental appearance. HIV-positive users were more likely to have regular dental visits than HIV-negative users. Severity of use (both high-frequency use as well as injection as the method) was associated with poorer oral health care. Despite the magnitude of the need, few MA users receive the needed care.
ISSN:1094-3412
1556-3308
DOI:10.1007/s11414-014-9449-0