Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
April 2005
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Electronic ISSN:
1754-2758
Vol:
6
Issue:
1

Recovering drug users and oral health: a qualitative study

Aim and objectives: Sociological literature on recovery from drug use has highlighted the importance of identity and the definition and understanding of ‘addiction’. This literature it seems might have much to add to the relatively underdeveloped explanations that have been provided for the oral health experiences of these groups in the dental literature. The consequences of both these concerns are explored in a secondary analysis of qualitative data concerning the range of experiences and concerns of recovering drug users with respect to their oral health. The aim of this study is to document to a professional audience the problems associated with ‘entangled identities’ and how they can explain the relevance of oral health to drug users both during times of problematic drug use and when they are recovering. Design: The analytical techniques of grounded theory focussed on the core concerns of participants as opposed to describing themes which appear important to the researcher in the primary analysis. Results: Forty of forty-two people invited to take part in the study did so. Twenty-five participated in focus group discussions and fifteen took part in-depth interviews. Participants were aged between 21 and 52 years and 26 were men. Participants indicated their main concern was with becoming someone who they had not been. This was described as having an ‘entangled identity’. Subsequently their main concerns when recovering from drug use was with ‘disentangling’ themselves from the entangled drug using self. Within this context the recovery process involved a reconstitution of their oral health by seeking dental care. Oral health therefore became an important part of the recovery of control and becoming the person they were before. Conclusion: A sociological understanding of drug addiction can add to existing explanations of this phenomenon in the dental literature by extending the current understanding of lifestyle to include structural factors that surround the entangled identity. Further work might adopt a more psychosocial perspective alongside a perspective from the sociology of the emotions. Keywords: Drug use, oral health, entangled identities

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£15.00
Page Start
34
Page End
41
Authors
Peter G. Robinson, Sam Acquah, Barry Gibson

Articles from this issue

  • Title
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  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - Emily is Emily
  2. 2
  3. 2

  1. Developing an Undergraduate Curriculum in Special Care Dentistry
  2. 3
  3. 15

  1. Study of the value of the panoramic radiographic examination in special risk patients with a history of infective endocarditis
  2. 16
  3. 20

  1. Dental care for children (and the not so young) with intellectual disabilities
  2. 21
  3. 23

  1. A prospective study of complications and outcomes associated with conscious sedation for the anxious dental patient
  2. 24
  3. 30

  1. Recovering drug users and oral health: a qualitative study
  2. 34
  3. 41

  1. Oral findings and 18-month follow-up care in two siblings with autistic disorder
  2. 42
  3. 44

  1. Case report – Treatment of localised, moderately deep periodontal pockets in an HIV-positive patient with minimal intervention
  2. 45
  3. 47

  1. BSDH News
  2. 48
  3. 52

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