BOISE, Idaho — With September being Recovery Awareness month, our Good Morning Idaho anchor Matt Sizemore sat down with Dr. Steven Tidwell to talk about the relationship between oral health and substance abuse.
According to Dr. Tidwell, the connection between what you put into your body and your mouth and gum health is very real.
"Oral cancers are much higher in people that smoke and substance abuse," said Dr. Tidwell.
He continued that cancers of the throat create more complications and are more difficult to treat than those in the lungs.
"You can lose a lung even, but you know, lose a throat... It's kind of tough," said Tidwell.
Another contributing factor to this is that substance abusers often have poor diets with foods high in sugar and they don't tend to be the most diligent brushers. This can lead to cavities, which leads to decay, and in some cases, tooth loss. Poor oral maintenance speeds up this process.
Tidwell said one common issue he sees, especially with methamphetamine users, is teeth grinding.
"People will grind so hard that they'll grind their teeth down, they'll chip or break teeth and then that causes loss of function," said Tidwell.
Per Dr. Tidwell, a recent study shows that 14% of the Idaho population has a substance abuse issue, with less than half of those people seeking treatment.
More information on treatment or oral health can be found at Family Health Services or the American Dental Association.
