Tooth surface loss: does recreational drug use contribute?

Objective: This pilot study was designed to measure tooth wear in a sample of 13 subjects who regularly use amphetamine-like drugs (Ecstasy, amphetamines) and compare the observed wear with a matched sample of nondrug users.

Design: The two groups, both composed of 13 undergraduate students, were matched for age and sex. Other factors influencing tooth wear were controlled by matching the groups on their responses to a questionnaire asking about recognised common causes of tooth wear.

Memory for acute pain experience is specifically inaccurate but generally reliable.

Sixty patients having their wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic were tested immediately after surgery and 2 weeks later. Subjects completed versions of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL). At the second test they were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups and either cued for their mood experience, cued for their pain experience or asked to recognise those words which they had chosen on the first occasion.