The occurrence of toothwear in users of Ecstasy (3,4 MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine)

Abstract

The severity of toothwear and the number of teeth affected were greater in Ecstasy users than in a group of non-users. The occlusal surfaces were more commonly affected than the incisal, which may indicate jaw clenching rather than grinding as a feature of Ecstasy-induced muscle hyperactivity.

Oral health sensations associated with illicit drug abuse

“…Type of drug abuse is associated with the oral health sensations produced, as evident in the difference in recalled oral health sensations among 'ecstasy' and 'non-ecstasy' abusers. or clenching their teeth together' after taking drugs compared to 28% (14) of those who never abused 'ecstasy', P < 0.001. Also, 70% (48) of those who abused 'ecstasy' claimed they felt 'pain or tenderness in their jaw muscle or jaw joints' compared to 36% (18) non 'ecstasy' abusers, P < 0.001.…”

“…Anecdotal concerns have been raised about the effects of 'ecstasy' abuse on tempromandibular joint dysfunction. 14,17,[26][27] …”

“…10,11 Likewise, there have been reports on the long term clinical effects of illicit drug abused on oral health, such as dental caries associated with 'heroin', 12 oral mucosal ulcerations in 1-3-8-methyl-8-azabicyclooctane-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester ('cocaine') abuse 13 and, tooth wear and periodontal disease associated with 'ecstasy' . 14,15 The sensations or short term effects associated with drug abuse in relation to general health are well recognised and include exhaustion, nausea, hallucinations, chills, sweating, increase in body temperature, tremors, muscle cramping, blurred vision and anxiolysis. 3,6 However, little has been reported on the oral sensations associated with drug abuse despite the acknowledgement of oral manifestation.…”

“…3,6 However, little has been reported on the oral sensations associated with drug abuse despite the acknowledgement of oral manifestation. [12][13][14][15][16][17] Studying the oral sensation of illicit drugs is important on many fronts: it may provide information on the underlying pathological processes and thus help to explain the clinical features observed. It may also enable clinicians to identify such drug abuse from patients' reported symptoms and thus facilitate a more comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to the management of addiction.…”

Untitled

“…Milosevic et al [10] reported that tooth-wear through the enamel into the underlying dentine occurred in 18 (60%) ecstasy users, xerostomia occurred in 93% of ecstasy users and 89% reported that they clenched or ground their teeth after taking the drug. Furthermore, Milosevic et al [10] concluded that the occlusal surfaces were more commonly affected than the incisal, which may indicate jaw clenching rather than grinding as a result of ecstasy-separate induced muscle hyperactivity.…”