The chemicals in methamphetamines cause rotten teeth, leaving some meth users in need of dentures in their 20s. The increasing incarceration of people addicted to meth means that dental expenses in prisons and jails are going up. In Washington, the Whatcom County Jail’s budget for dental services increased 164% between 2002 and 2006. The Washington Department of Corrections spends $5 million of a $12 million dental budget on meth-related dental problems.

One Washington sheriff is advocating for temporary, short-term release of people who receive Medicare, Medicaid or veteran’s benefits so that those programs will cover the dental costs. When a person is in prison or jail, he or she is no longer eligible for these programs.

Another potential solution may come from the federal government in the form of increased funding for state prison and jail dental services. A bi-partisan group of legislators introduced two bills at the end of July. The first bill, “The Meth Mouth Correctional Costs and Re-entry Support Act,” would provide more funding to jails and prison systems overburdened with meth-caused dental problems. The second bill would provide funding to further research meth’s effects on the mouth and educate young people about the drug.

This news brief is based on stories in the Bellingham Herald, Treating “meth mouth” strains jail budgets [1], and The Columbian, Baird bill would treat 'meth mouth'. [2] If the links are broken, check the newspapers’ archives.