Pubdate: Mon, 01 Aug 2005
Source: Martinsville Bulletin (VA)
Copyright: 2005 Martinsville Bulletin
Contact:  http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2003
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

JAILS, PRISONS SEE RISE IN 'METH MOUTH'

The prevalence of "meth mouth" is mirroring the rise in
methamphetamine use.

Patrick County Sheriff David Hubbard said that county spent "probably
thousands of dollars" last year to pay for dental care for inmates
suspected or accused of meth use.

The dental damage caused by meth runs the gamut, from dry mouth to
tooth decay, cracked teeth and gum disease, according to a Web site.
identify it That occurs in part because the drug is corrosive,
containing things such as lithium, acids, ether and red dye.

"It eats the enamel off the teeth," Hubbard said.

Martinsville dentist Dr. Mark Crabtree said the drug causes "a very
accelerated deterioration process" of the teeth because it slows or
stops the flow of saliva, which, in turn, contributes to decay.

If smoked, substances in meth are vaporized, which irritates and burns
the sensitive skin inside the mouth and creates sores that lead to
infection, according to the Web site.

"Chronic meth smokers have teeth rotted to the gum line from the
continuous" effects of the vapors on tooth enamel, the site states.

Snorting or inhaling the drug also takes its toll on teeth, bathing
them with corrosive substances. While injecting the drug has no direct
impact on dental health, habitual use has side effects that eventually
lead to damage, according to the Web site.

Crabtree said meth users often "forget to eat." In light of
overlooking a function as basic as eating, caring for "teeth becomes
an extremely low priority," he added.

He says that he has not noticed an increase in meth patients in his
private practice "because they don't seek treatment in a traditional
way. I wouldn't really expect to see it in a private practice."

Another local dentist, Dr. Mark Mason, also said he has not noticed a
problem among his clientele. He agreed with Crabtree that drug users
"probably don't frequent the dentist's office very often."

However, a jailhouse setting is different. In Louisville, Ky., Cliff
Gill hardly finds it unusual to see dental problems among new inmates
at his jail, according to The Associated Press. After all, he said,
life behind bars often is the first time they use two things they
ignored on the outside -- "a toothbrush and a Bible."

But the explosion of methamphetamine use has taken it to a scary new
level, with inmates coming in every week with black-orange smiles,
rotted enamel, gums bleeding and receding, and no choice but to have
every tooth pulled.

"It's almost unbelievable," said Gill, who at his lockup in western
Kentucky's McCracken County sees four or five inmates a month who must
be sent to an oral surgeon for a complete tooth extraction -- at a
cost to the taxpayers of $500 per inmate.

According to the AP, the drug also gives users a sweet tooth that
often is fed by copious amounts of sugary junk food and soft drinks
with high caffeine content.

Dr. Tom Shields, director of dental services for the Florida
Department of Corrections, told the AP that inmates with "meth mouth"
stand out from ordinary inmates who just haven't taken care of their
teeth.

"Meth mouth" inmates look similar to patients treated for head and
neck cancer, Shields is quoted as saying. "It just looks like the
enamel is eaten off the teeth."

Statistics on "meth mouth" are hard to come by. Many prison systems
don't ask dental patients what their crimes are and aren't equipped to
track the cases anyway. Anecdotal evidence from jailers and
corrections departments everywhere from Florida to Wyoming shows the
problem growing.

"It's in every state I can think of," said Ken Fields, a spokesman for
Correctional Medical Services in St. Louis, which provides dental and
medical care in prisons in 27 states.

Darcy Jensen, a drug prevention and treatment counselor who runs
Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota, said
in an AP report that meth's toll on the mouth, teeth and rest of the
body is quick and obvious.

Cocaine and heroin, as well as alcohol and marijuana, have a physical
impact on the user but over a longer period of time. With meth, teeth
quickly change colors and fall out, gums recede, cheeks collapse and
the person loses weight.

"It happens rapidly and in so many ways," Jensen said in the report.
"It just kind of multiplies."

That was the case with Steve Collett of Manchester, Ky., who had his
teeth pulled and repaired after getting out of prison last year,
according to the AP report.

Collett said meth was "his drug of choice," and the realization of its
effects hit him one morning when he had sobered up.

"I looked in the mirror and it was, 'God, what did I do to me?'" he
said. "I couldn't look people in the face. I hated the way I look."

A generous donor from his church gave Collett $1,900 to have his teeth
repaired.

In the few states that have tracked the disorder behind bars, the jump
in dental visits and costs have been noticeable.

According to reports, the number of days a dentist served inmates in
North Dakota shot from 50 in 2000 to 78 in 2004.

Minnesota's bill for inmate dental care went from $1.2 million in 2000
to $2 million in 2004.

Most states, including Kentucky, can offer only anecdotal evidence
that "meth mouth" is growing into an expensive problem.

Dr. James Cecil, administrator of oral health for the Kentucky Cabinet
of Health Services, said in an AP report that he has heard about the
disorder from oral surgeons and dental students who call looking for
help in diagnosing and treating the disorder.

"It's coming up the expressways, I-64, I-75 and the Western Kentucky
Parkway," he said. "Those are the drug delivery routes."

Collett said, based on his experience, he expects more cases to pop up
before things get better.

"It's just amazing what drugs will do," Collett said. "Drugs became my
god. I didn't care about my teeth. I didn't care about nothing."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin