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Your email message will read: this text is not editable This message was sent from Georgia Magazine (http://uga.edu/gm/). Fighting for the future - Feature Stories September 2012 Issue The crowd of about 35 children at the Lay Park Recreation Center in Athens reacts strongly to the image projected on the screen at the front of the room: “Ewwww.” “This is what we call meth mouth. Everybody say meth mouth,” says Syreeta Thibodeaux, community outreach specialist with the Georgia Meth Project (GMP). “Meth mouth,” the kids reply. On this July day, during one of GMP’s many outreach programs, the kids have heard about the history of meth, ingredients, street names, common forms and how meth affects dopamine production in the brain. But the image of several meth users’ mouths—featuring rotting teeth and sores—really gets their attention. Thibodeaux explains that meth use leads to a lack of saliva, decrease in blood flow to the gums, teeth grinding, bad hygiene and a poor diet, which culminate in meth mouth. Then she moves on to meth mites, or crank bugs. Meth users hallucinate that they have bugs on or even under their skin … Read full article at http://uga.edu/gm/ee/index.php?/single/2012/09/1592/.