Dental status of patients with mental disorders

Aim. Assessment of the dental status of patients with mental disorders.

Methods. Examination of 220 mentally ill and 208 practically healthy individuals was carried out using DCF (decay/missing/filled) and CPITN (Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs) indices to determine the prevalence and intensity of caries, periodontal disease, and to identify the need for complex dental care. The group were comparable by the age: 35.2±0.39 и 34.3±0.40 years (р=0.115). The functional state of the salivary glands and mouth fluid was studied. Psychoemotional status was determined before starting the treatment by the clinical psychological method using Spielberger-Khanin scale of reactive and personal anxiety levels.

Results. In the study group, the number of patients in whom various forms of caries were detected was 100%, while in the group of mentally healthy subjects the number of such patients was 91.8±1.90% (p=0.001). Due to the high values of intensity of carious disease, especially in terms of the number of teeth extracted, the need of the mentally ill for dentures was recorded to be quite high. The highest intensity of the dental calculi and deep pathological periodontal pockets was found in the study group. Peaks of reduced salivation were more commonly diagnosed in patients with mental illness. Assessing the frequency of occurrence of dentoalveolar anomalies, deep bite and progeny in both groups had the highest ratio relative to other types of anomalies but in the study group, the frequency of cross bite was higher (p=0.015). The rate of reactive anxiety in the course of dental interventions in the study group was 50.1±0.72% versus 31.6±0.57 in the control group (p <0.001). A similar picture was observed when assessing the level of personal anxiety among the subjects.

Conclusion. The research results indicate a high level of incidence of inflammatory-destructive diseases of periodontal tissues and hard dental tissues in the study group of patients with mental disorders; the presence of the studied pathology adversely affects the state of acid-base balance of saliva and the frequency of dento-alveolar anomalies.