Differences in dental treatment plan and planning for drug-addicted and non-drug-addicted patients

This study investigated whether dental treatment plans and planning of general practitioners are different for addicted and identical non-addicted patients. Dental practitioners (n=500) were sent a questionnaire with information on and questions about treatment for either an addicted or an identical non-addicted patient; response rate was 41%. Loglinear analysis showed that after controlling for the influence of four demographic variables (sex, age, number pf patients and number of National Health Service insured patients), the treatment plans made for addicted patients were less elaborate than those for the non-addicted. For the addicted, fillings or frames were proposed more often, whereas for non-addicted patients more often crowns or bridges were proposed. Extraction instead of filling was more often proposed for the addicted patient. Less elaborate treatment for addicted patients corresponds to the way dentists specialized in treating drug addicts work, with one exception: extraction should be avoided whether a patient is addicted or not. Treatment planning did not differentiate for addicted and non-addicted patients, whereas dentists specialized in treating addicted patients do recommend an adjusted treatment plan for the addicted.