Meth Mouth

“I have a patient who can taste methamphetamine in his denture.”  One of Safelink’s clients called a few weeks ago to ask our assistance with answering a question posed by one of their dentist clients. The patient was a methamphetamine user prior to imprisonment and has now informed the dentist that he can taste the drugs in his denture. This brought up the question as to whether the drugs can be absorbed into the denture and then could the dentist or technician who is repairing the denture be exposed to the drugs. Naturally, that’s where Safelink became interested as far as safety for the dentist and/or technician who may be grinding on a denture repair from a meth user.

In the May 2006 issue of Dentistry Today, Dr. Steven Morales in Phoenix, AZ wrote an article about reconstruction of a 22-year-old male with a history of methamphetamine use. Dr. Morales points out that dental professionals should be aware of treatment considerations for these drugs users. According to Dr. Morales’ article, “chronic, high-dose meth abusers are generally undernourished with gaunt appearance, poor hygiene, and teeth with extensive caries.” The caries can be attributed to the acidic nature of the drug, cravings for high-calorie carbonated beverages, tooth grinding and clenching, and poor oral hygiene. The treatment required prior to preparation for all-ceramic restorations was quite extensive. The aesthetic transformation by Dr. Morales had to have been beneficial to the improvement of this young man’s self-esteem.      

From my discussion with a number of experts on this subject of methamphetamines, I found no specific research that addressed this type of exposure to the dentist or the technician during grinding. Dr. Morales did recommend that anyone working on denture repairs should wear protective clothing such as safety eyewear, mask, gown, and gloves (when possible). We know that gloves are not recommended when working on rotary equipment, therefore, hand washing and good hygiene are critical.

A professor of pharmacology at the University of Maryland, answered our question by indicating that there is no evidence of uptake from dentures to tissue. Also, meth does not usually stay in the system very long, especially not long enough for the ex-prisoner in the situation above to still taste it unless he is still taking it. When we asked the professor why there is so much in the news regarding firefighter’s incurring adverse health effects from entering buildings where the meth is being manufactured and to children living in these meth houses, he responded that the negative effects they experience would be from exposure to the raw volatile ingredients used in the process of making meth, i.e. lithium, muriatic and sulfuric acid, ether, red phosphorus, and lye. The professor stated “Meth is not volatile, so dentists do not have a risk of exposure to it from their patients and there is no danger to staff in the dental lab.”
We appreciate the opportunity to assist the dental industry and encourage you to call us when we can help with issues involving safety of workers in the dental laboratory or the dental office.

Do you have a question for Mary Borg? E-mail jdt@nadl.org.

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