A pilot study on the oral conditions of severely alcohol addicted persons

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the oral status, drinking, smoking, and oral hygiene habits of alcoholics. One hundred severely addicted alcoholics were examined during the in-patient treatment for detoxification (mean age: 44 years; 68 males/32 females) The study included a questionnaire and an oral examination that measured DMF-T, QHI, PBI, and CPI. The majority of alcoholics were heavy smokers (>30 cigarettes/day). Fifty-two percent of the alcoholics stated they frequently forgot to brush their teeth and 43% observed bleeding of their gums. The mean DMF-T was 20 (2 D-T, 9 M-T, 9 F-T), the mean QHI was 2.4, and the mean PBI was 1.8. Forty-nine percent of the sextants were scored CPI 3 or 4; about 25% were edentulous (CPI X). Our results indicate severe alcoholics have a high risk of periodontal break down and tooth loss. To what extent these findings were caused by general/oral neglect alone (in combination with nicotine abuse) is at present unknown.