Oral health and treatment needs of patients with psychosocial disorders in Pune, India: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Despite of the fact that good oral health is essential to maintain a good overall health and quality of life; it generally gets low priority in patients with psychosocial disorders. Very little data are available to estimate the current oral health status of patients with psychosocial disorders and their treatment needs. Hence this study was conducted to determine the oral health status and treatment needs of patients in Pune, India. Materials and Methods: Two hundred patients who were above 18 years of age; diagnosed with psychosocial disorders, and either institutionalized or under out-patient care in three rehabilitation centers of Pune participated in this study. To determine their caries experience; decay-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) index was used where as screening of periodontal problems was done using Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE) index. Presence of any oral mucosal lesion was also recorded. Results: Mean DMFT score for all 200 participants of this study was 5.52. Among the particular psychosocial diagnosis groups, mean DMFT was relatively higher in schizophrenic (6.71) and depressive patients (5.82). BPE index showed considerable periodontal treatment needs. Mucosal lesions associated with tissue abuse habits were present in 24 (12.0%) participants, with a majority of them occurring in patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome, schizophrenia and depression. Three (1.5%) patients were found to have self inflicted mucosal lesions where as 9 (4.5%) patients had other mucosal lesions viz. lichen planus, glossitis etc. Conclusion: Although the caries experience of the participants of this study was not on the higher side, large unmet dental treatment need was identified in this population. Awareness as well as practice of oral hygiene methods was also poor. This calls for integrated efforts on the behalf of psychiatrists, care takers and dentists towards providing a better oral health care to this often neglected group of patients.