Oral health status of female hospitalized psychiatric patients in Jazan: A Case-control study

Abstract

Objectives: Poor oral health is an important determinant of general health in patients with mental illnesses. The present study was conducted to evaluate the dental and periodontal status of hospitalized female psychiatric patients in Jazan city, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This study included 82 subjects: 37 psychiatric female patients, and 45 age- and gender- matched healthy controls. Dental caries experience (decayed, missing, and filled teeth index ( DMFT ) and periodontal health status were recorded. SPSS version 21 was used for data analysis, and p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean ages were comparable among the two groups. Psychiatric patients showed poor oral hygiene practices, with only 56.6% reported regularly brushing their teeth as compared with 82.2% of controls (P < 0.05). Control subjects had significantly higher DMFT mean scores than psychiatric female patients. However, psychiatric patients had significantly higher mean scores of missing teeth (M component) and lower restored teeth (F component) as compared with controls. Moreover, the mean attachment loss scores were significantly higher in the psychiatric group (0.76±1.58) compared with controls (0.23; 0.44 p < 0.01). Conclusions: Psychiatric patients showed poor oral hygiene practices and a high prevalence of untreated dental caries and periodontal diseases. Effective oral health promotion strategies need to be implemented to improve the oral health and oral health practices of this group of people. Keywords Psychiatric patients; Dental; Periodontal disease; Oral hygiene.