Chronic use of psychoactive drugs can negatively impact dental implants and their osseointegration by interfering with bone healing and turnover. Specific drugs like opiates, cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamines can reduce saliva, increase plaque and calculus buildup, and alter oral bacteria. This compromises oral health and makes osseointegration less likely to succeed. Patients using these substances also face higher risks of medical emergencies during dental procedures and may need behavior modifications or drug cessation counseling to improve treatment outcomes.

1. EFFECT OF PSYCHOACTIVE
DRUGS ON DENTAL
IMPLANTS

2. Dental implants are routinely used to treat
edentulism.
Their success depends on osseointegration, the
direct functional and structural interlocking of
implant and bone. The osseointegration
mechanism is similar to bone remodeling and
healing.
Thus, chronic use of any systemic drug that
can interfere with bone turnover and healing
may affect osseointegration, resulting in
premature implant loss.

3. • Psychoactive drugs are those drugs that affect
ones feeling of mental awareness affecting their
emotions, perceptions and feelings.
• Although such type of illegal drugs may vary upon
the country. But some common misused drugs are
:
• Heroine
• Hashish
• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Opiates
• Cannabis
• LSD (Hallucinogen)

5. Erosion of
enamel
Ulceration and
inflammation of
gingival
Pre-malignant
lesion of oral
cavity
Increased level
of osteoporosis
Increased plaque
and Calculus
deposition
Decrease in
Salivary flow
Altering oral
microbial flora
Mucosal
inflammation,
oedema, ulcers
AFFECT OF DRUGS ON ORAL HEALTH

6. AFFECT OF DRUGS ON IMPLANT
PLACEMENT
• As of now not much is known about the effects of
these drugs on the success of dental implants and
osseointegration. But they are thought to be altering
bone repair and bone healing, in turn, alter
successful osseointegration and ultimately lead to
premature implant loss or peri -implant
complications.
• These drugs directly affects the functioning of brain
of an individual which may result their ability to
maintain oral hygiene, carelessness and aggression
towards the dental treatment.

7. OPIATES
• Opiates may lead to suppression of pain responses
causing patient to ignore the signs of tooth decay,
periodontal diseases and limited access to dental care
depleting the chances of a successful dental implant.

8. OPIATES AND AMPHITAMINES
• Opiates and amphetamines cause reduction
in the saliva production that is essential to
protect against dental decay and
periodontal diseases.

9. COCAINE
• Regular use of Cocaine
through may lead to
perforation of nasal septum,
palate, gingival lesion and
erosion of the tooth surface.
• Cocaine do tends to
decrease the salivary pH
and that is not a suitable
factor after a dental imlant
placement.

10. • HASHISH AND MARIJUANA do possess a
significant risk of developing pre-malignant
lesions plus it do affects the vasculature of
the patient thereby affecting the wound
healing.

11. • METHAMPHETAMINE users have
decreased salivary production, increased
risk of caries and high sugar intake all of
which affects the prognosis of dental
implants.

12. LSD
• It has a prominent anorexic affect on
patient which will relate to may problems
associated with malnutrition. Also, the
efficacy for high sugar intake increases in
such patients.

13. • Not only there are only after procedure
affects but use of these psycho-active drugs
do increases the risk of a medical
emergency especially the cardiovascular
system may be affected during dental
procedure when adrenaline containing local
anesthetic or retraction cord is used.
• Cocaine and vasoconstrictors interaction
can lead to cardiac arrest.

14. CONSIDERATIONS DURING THE
TREATMENT
• Behaviour Modification – these
patients have a special tendency
to miss appointments causing a
delay in the treatment. Signs of
alcohol abused to be observed
before the procedure and
rescheduling the appointment to
be done on that basis.

15. • Habit Cessation
Consultation – Patients
need to be told about
the negative
implications of the habit
and the adverse
outcome on the
procedure.
• Therefore advised to
quit and cease the abuse
of substances.

16. • Monitor all the vital signs during the
procedure. Take special care of the pain
tolerance that may be decreased, resulting in
failure of local analgesic agents to relieve pain.
• Special implications for oral hygiene – the
foremost thing is that the patient should be
made to realize that the maximum efforts to
maintain his oral hygiene, for a successful
dental implant procedure is to be made by him
only.

17. • Medications - Opiod user need to be prescribed
only NSAIDs for pain relief. Patients who are
alcoholic along with drug abuse should never
be prescribed aspirin and non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs as alcohol tends to
decrease salivary pH as they are acidic drugs.
• Liver of patients consuming alcohol and
psychoactive drugs is usually affected leading
to depletion of clotting factors, thereby,
prolonging chances of bleeding during or after
the procedure.

19. CONNECT WITH US AT
@dentalcoursesdelhi
drrajatsachdeva
drrajatsachdeva
drrajatsachdeva@surgicalmasterrajat

20. To book an appmt. contact
Dr.Rajat Sachdeva
Dr Sachdeva’s Dental
Aesthetic & Implant
Institute
I 101, Ashok Vihar Phase 1,
Delhi- 110052
Contact us at
Phone : +919818894041
01142464041

21. THANK
YOU