Meth abuse destroys the teeth Saturday, July 14, 2007 BY KAITLIN SMALL I thank The Times for its front- page story "Words of a life transformed" (June 25) about James Salant, who wrote "Leaving Dirty Jersey: A Crystal Meth Memoir." The newspaper also published a letter to the editor by my colleague, Dr. Brian Allen, about the dangers of methamphetamine use and how it's slowly growing in New Jersey ("'Meth mouth' a sign of drug abuse," Dec. 8, 2006). We as dentists appreciate The Times' efforts to keep this little-known drug problem in the news. Readers may ask, "Why are dentists so interested in this drug problem?" Across America, mostly in the Midwest, but slowly growing in New Jersey, a telling side effect of methamphetamine use called "meth mouth" is causing many to show up in dental clinics and offices with blackened and crumbling teeth. In some cases, the patients did not exhibit a single cavity one year earlier. With the highest user group between 18 and 25 years old, dentists are highly concerned that some young people are losing their teeth. Parents need to know this be cause, unlike some other forms of drug abuse, meth mouth is a clear and very visible indicator that their child may be abusing this easy-to- manufacture drug. The drug causes the mouth to dry out, leaving tooth enamel vulnerable to the drug's acidic nature and harmful bacteria. Additionally, the user craves high volumes of sugary, carbonated drinks to sustain the high. Meth is, for the most part, not an inner-city drug. Authorities have classified it as a growing "party" drug and as a stimulant used in the competitive and pressure-filled worlds of undergraduate and graduate students. It is the NoDoz of today. Like Mr. Salant, New Jersey dentists are doing their part to de crease the number of users of meth. In addition to Mr. Salant's book, Web sites of the New Jersey Dental Association (www.njda.org), the American Dental Association (www.ada.org) and the Montana Meth Project (www.montaname th.org) are good sources of information on the topic. Recent busts in Newark, Voor hees and Asbury Park have marked the arrival of meth in New Jersey. Together, we can all pitch in to end this growing problem before it gets out of control. Kaitlin Small, D.M.D., is president of the Mercer Dental Society, based in Lawrence.

PREVIOUS

NEWS-LINKS MAIN PAGE

WEBSITE HOME

NEXT