Oral health implications of increased cannabis use among older adults: Another public health concern?

Prevalence of cannabis use among older Americans (aged ≥ 65) appears to be rising, and emerging evidence associates cannabis use with several oral diseases. The burden of oral diseases among older Americans is great, but literature discussing potential implications of increasing rates of cannabis use and the oral health of older persons is lacking. This paper explores the latest trends in prevalence of cannabis use among older Americans and summarizes the literature on the oral health status of older adults and oral effects of cannabis use, and considers broad implications for oral health and public health policy and future research. Further studies on the effects cannabis use on the oral health of older adults are needed. Future research should investigate older subjects' susceptibility to cannabis-related oral diseases, as well as the proportions that develop disease. Policymakers may wish to tackle barriers to access of dental services for the older population, or target subsets of the population that suffer from comparably higher rates of oral diseases, while dental professionals may require training on managing underlying substance use behaviors in addition to clinical oral manifestations.