Saúde bucal e dependência química: revisão integrativa da literatura

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Drug abuse is one of the main public health problems in the world, being responsible for several changes in the oral cavity. OBJECTIVES: To present a

synthesis of scientific productions regarding the oral health of drug addicts. METHODOLOGY: This is an integrative literature review on the knowledge produced by the scientific community about the oral health of drug addicts in the last five years. The search was carried out in the CAPES Portal databases using the descriptors Oral Health and Drug Use, as well as their English counterparts, Oral Health and Use of Drugs. Original articles, published in Portuguese and peer-reviewed English, were included. Selected articles were independently evaluated by the authors. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 10 publications. In the selected articles, the male population was more representative, with the majority also being users of more than one type of drug. The selected publications indicate that the use of multiple drugs is related to a high prevalence of caries, dental pain, periodontal disease, dental erosion and lesions of the oral mucosa. A case study demonstrated that systemic changes can occur when performing dental procedures with analgesia in drug addicts. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: It is concluded that, despite the use of drugs causing great impacts on oral health, little research has been done on the consequences of the use of legal drugs and especially illegal ones in the oral cavity. It is suggested that more research be carried out focusing on the oral health of drug addicts and that the dentist be included in the multidisciplinary teams of institutions specializing in the care of these individuals, since this professional is extremely important in the early detection of damage caused by the use of these substances in the oral cavity, which can either refer to other health professionals or minimize the damage caused to oral health, in addition to promoting rehabilitation and restoring quality of life.