Low Frequency of Oral Hygiene Behaviors in Patients With Mental Health Disorders

Patients with self-reported mental health disorders demonstrated a low frequency of oral hygiene  behaviors, according to a study presented at the 102nd General Session of the International Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.

The investigators examined oral hygiene self-care behavior among patients with self-reported anxiety, dental anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The oral hygiene behaviors evaluated were daily toothbrushing, interdental cleaning, use of fluoride toothpaste, use of mouthwash, and recommended preventive re-care, including frequency of returning within a 2-year period. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were utilized for data analysis.

In total, 854 charts were reviewed, including 250 records of self-reported mental health disorders. Patient ages ranged from 18.00 to 95.00 years, with a mean age of 53.82 years. Most (58.2%) patients were female. The most commonly reported mental health disorder was anxiety, in 62.4%. Depression was the second most common (61.6%), followed by dental anxiety (25.6%), bipolar disorder (14.8%), and PTSD (8.8%).

The rates of oral hygiene behaviors, re-care intervals, and frequency of re-care visits did not differ between different mental health disorders. Sixty percent of patients did not use daily interdental cleaning, and 73.2% did not use mouthwash daily. Women were significantly more likely to perform daily toothbrushing (P=.004) and utilize fluoride toothpaste (P=.007) compared with men. The mean interval for re-care was 5 months.

The authors reported a low frequency of performing all oral hygiene behaviors apart from daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste for patients with self-reported mental health disorders. The rate of returning for re-care at recommended intervals was also low for these patients.