Fri, 06 Oct 2006

Use, as well as 'meth mouth,' on the rise

This isn't really a Study in Stupidity - the results are certainly real, it's the cause that's in question. I think if the truth were to be told it'd be more along the lines of dentists grubbing for anti-drug dollars... call it a Study in Slyness

Here in the Midwest there's a pretty major meth problem. And this supposed effect, that of rotting out your teeth, has been heavily publicized for years. I'd always wondered how an amphetamine could rot your face off, and now, thanks to this study, I know:

Use of the drug also can decrease saliva due to the dry mouth many suffer from. To provide relief from "cotton mouth", many meth users drink vast daily amounts of carbonated sugared soft drinks, says lead author Gary D. Klasser, DMD, Cert.Orofacial Pain. He also says that many users lose interest in maintaining good oral hygiene habits, and will stop brushing and flossing their teeth.

Dare I say it? Irrespective of your illegal drug use, if you drink vast amounts of sugared soft drinks and forget all about oral hygiene your teeth are going to rot. This is like saying that garbage causes flies: the bugs may be attracted to trash, and indeed may be more prevalent near it, but the trash did not in any sense "cause" them...

It's cheap, addictive and can harm your smile for life. Its use is also rapidly increasing both nationally and world-wide. It is methamphetamine. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 12 million Americans age 12 and older reported they had tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime.

(link) [EurekAlert!]

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