There is so much confidence and all of that tied up in your smile and in how your teeth look. Having that taken care of will really be a good change in their lives, especially when they have so few options. – Kali Mower
SALT LAKE CITY — People with drug problems aren't usually thought of as missing out on the benefits of health care, but substance use issues often lead them to go without essential medical services, particularly dental care.
When helping to rehabilitate these individuals, experts say proper dental care can go a long way in terms of nutrition, self-esteem and cosmetic purposes.
"When the mouth gets ravaged by disease like that, these people don't eat well, they have poor nutrition and are vulnerable to all kinds of health care issues," said Dr. Glen Hanson, director at the Utah Addiction Center and interim dean at the University of Utah's School of Dentistry where the center is housed.
The school recently secured a $1.5 million federal grant aimed at helping people recovering from drug abuse get their smiles back.
"Their health is so much a part of their recovery, this is going to make a gigantic difference," said Kali Mower, marketing director at the Odyssey House in Salt Lake City, which has been selected to be involved in the local project.
Odyssey House, Mower said, serves around 500 people at any given time, and the average age is about 24. "
They have a lot of life left in them," she said, adding that proper dental care for those who are motivated to change will really go a long way.
"There is so much confidence and all of that tied up in your smile and in how your teeth look," Mower said. "Having that taken care of will really be a good change in their lives, especially when they have so few options."
Typically, when someone without insurance exhibits dental pain or infection, the affected teeth are pulled during a visit to a hospital emergency room. Sometimes charity care can be found, but Mower said it takes time to find dentists willing to work without pay.
And people who are caught up in drug use or substance abuse issues don't usually have the resources or access to insurance, specifically for dental care, Hanson said. They are also often disenfranchised or separated from their families and loved ones and typically suffer more obvious medical issues that can occur with drug use and those are often seen as a priority over dental health.
"Drugs can damage your cardiovascular system and your brain," Hanson said. "People who are using these drugs usually have very poor decision-making abilities because of that. They make very poor decisions and one area exhibited by that is caring for themselves. They just don't take care of themselves."
Dental care, he said, almost always falls to the wayside and not always by their own choice.
"This population is almost always ignored," Hanson said.
The grant — which initiates "Project Floss," or "facilitating a lifetime of oral health sustainability for substance use disorder patients" — is one of 16 handed out to approximately all 50 states that applied to the United States Health Resources and Services Administration with creative projects dedicated to improve access to health care among vulnerable populations. It will be spent over three years, treating up to 200 local patients, all of whom are being rehabilitated from substance abuse problems at either the Odyssey House or First Step House in Salt Lake City.
In addition to providing a service to a population of people in need, the school will be able to train its third- and fourth-year students to address often complicated dental problems that run the gamut from mild infection or cavities, to full replacement of teeth using dentures. Faculty members will supervise treatment at either University Healthcare's Greenwood Health Center or the U.'s School of Dentistry.
"It will help them hone their skills with difficult patients," Hanson said, adding that "these are the people they will serve in the communities they end up working."
Several thousands of adults are in treatment for substance use issues in Utah, and Hanson estimates about 80 percent of them have some need for dental care, with all of them needing preventive cleanings and education.
"We're excited about this," he said. "It takes us in a direction we should be going and allows us to provide a service to our community."
The program will likely be underway in the next couple of months.
Email: wleonard@deseretnews.com, Twitter: wendyleonards