The popular notion is that cannabis is a harmless pleasure. However, a new study suggests that frequent recreational use of cannabis may increase the risk of developing gum disease.
The use of cannabis - which includes marijuana, hashish, and hashish oil - has become a hot topic in recent years due to the rapidly changing landscape of marijuana legalization for medical and recreational use.
How does cannabis affect our teeth?
Researchers in the study, which was published in the Journal of Periodontology, used data from 1,938 participants in a national survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to examine the relationship between frequent recreational use of cannabis with The periodontitis.
Periodontitis, which means inflammation around the tooth, is a disease that results from the accumulation of bacteria. This disease causes destruction of the bones, gums, and tissues that support the teeth, and, if left untreated, can result in loss of the teeth. It is diagnosed with a periodontal examination where the clinician uses a catheter to measure the space between the teeth and the tissue around the gum, which is known as the periodontal pocket.
Are you a frequent user of cannabis?
Participants who reported using cannabis one or more times a month during the past year were classified as frequent users. The researchers found that 27% of individuals, ages 30-59, reported being frequent users of cannabis.
What do the bags indicate on your teeth?
The result of this study indicated that frequent users of cannabis had more periodontal pockets present around their teeth indicating a severe and advanced presence of the disease in the gums.
Other risk factors associated with periodontitis include:
- The consumption of tobacco
- Drinking alcohol
- Diabetes
Even controlling for these factors, even excluding smokers from smoking, frequent users of cannabis were twice as likely to suffer from periodontitis.
This finding is important as it shows that recreational use of cannabis implies an increased risk of developing gum disease regardless of tobacco consumption, confirming findings from a previous study conducted in New Zealand. Further studies are needed to determine whether the use of medicinal cannabis has the same effect on oral health.
Cravings and lack of saliva have consequences
The consumption of cannabis causes dry mouth and produces snacks that allow the consumption of cariogenic diets consisting of sugary foods and drinks. These factors in combination with the lack of frequent brushing of teeth and visits to the dentist, phenomena that often occur more frequently among users of cannabis, can lead to oral problems.
Saliva is a protector against cavities and other types of alterations that occur in the mouth. When one consumes marijuana, if the quality of the saliva gets worse, one is exposed to having more cavities, having more periodontal disease and other alterations in the mouth. Dr. Ricardo Cartes-Velásquez. Faculty of Dentistry At the University of Concepcion in Chile
In order for frequent users of cannabis to maintain the health of their gums and teeth, Dr. Cartes-Velasquez suggests:
- Go to the dentist two to three times a year
- Brushing your teeth after consumption
- Avoid a cariogenic diet after consumption
Implications for public health
The widespread use of cannabis can pose important oral health problems, especially for Latin America, as this next July cannabis users in Uruguay can buy in pharmacies. In 2013 Uruguay went down in history by becoming the first country in the world to legalize the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of cannabis.
Although the consumption of cannabis will add to the worsening of dental problems in the population, oral health problems in Latin America are influenced by other factors that are of greater importance.
In terms of public health, the impact seems to be marginal if we compare it with the issue of cariogenic diet and lack of high oral hygiene. Dr. Cartes-Velasquez
Instead of spreading the persecution of cannabis users, Dr. Cartes-Velasquez remarked that the role of politics and the media should be to raise the awareness of the population about the consequences of cannabis on oral health So that they can make their own decisions about it. Above all, he emphasized that oral health efforts in Latin America should focus on promoting oral hygiene among preschool children since habits are formed in the early stages of life.
SOURCE: CNN
