EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DENTAL PROBLEMS IN DRUG ADDICTS COVERED BY AHWAZ COUNTY DRUG ABUSE REDUCTION CENTER

Background and Aim : : Despite the improvement of oral and dental health in human societies, dental diseases are still one of the biggest health problems. This problem among addicts adds extra burden to both the individual and the community. The purpose of this study was to determine the dental problems in opioid addicts in the center of harm reduction in Ahvaz cityMethods : : The study was descriptive-analytic. The population of all addicts under the umbrella of harm reduction center of Ahvaz, which consisted of 40 people, was census sampling. The instrument used was dental examination based on the DMFT index. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the dataResults : : The findings showed that DMFT average was 4.20, which was 1.8 in comparison with the country s index. Mean index of decay rate (D = 7), tooth elongation index (M = 13.4), and tooth decay index (F = 0.225) were observed. Meanwhile, the average age of the subjects was 45 years old, and the addicts in the single group with a high level of education, the male group and the history of addiction were more than 5 years old.Conclusion : The results showed that oral and dental problems among drug addicts are higher than the general population. Therefore, it is suggested that in management of dental treatment addiction should be considered as a health index of social and health officials

Keywords:

Dentistry , drug use , harm reduction , Ahvaz