Salivary profile of recovering illicit drug addicts in rehabilitation center of the national narcotics board

Drug abuse may cause some changes to the oral cavity, such as hyposalivation, alteration in salivary pH, and buffering capacity, which may lead to other oral problems. The purpose of this study is to determine the salivary flow rate (SFR), pH, and buffering capacity in recovering drug addicts. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 86 residents from the Hope and Re-entry groups of the rehabilitation centre. The samples used were stimulated (SS) and unstimulated (US) saliva. Saliva was collected using the spitting method for a period of five minutes. Participants chewed paraffin wax prior to the collection of SS samples. SS was analysed for buffer capacity, and US was analysed for pH. The mean values for the Hope and re-entry groups respectively were USFR (ml/min) 0.41 ± 0.17 and 0.45 ± 0.2; SSFR (ml/min) 1.39±0.59 and 1.21 ± 0.59; unstimulated pH 6.86 ± 0.4 and 6.9 ± 0.4; stimulated pH 7.4 ± 0.3 and 7.3 ± 0.3; and buffer capacity 6.8 ± 2.8 and 6.38 ± 2.7. Salivary buffering capacity, which was lower in the Re-entry group, might be related to SSFR, as salivary buffering capacity increased as the SFR increased, and vice versa. A history of illicit drug use did not affect SFR or pH, since both groups had normal SFR and salivary pH. However, it may have affected salivary buffering capacity, as suggested by relatively low buffering capacity in both groups.