Data Record: Barriers and facilitators to oral health for patients living with serious mental illness
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Populations with mental illness (MI) remain at considerable disadvantage in regards with oral health outcomes across the world. Emerging data clearly correlates poor dental and oral health with systemic medical comorbidity and associated mortality. Dental diseases have been correlated with numerous inflammatory and infectious diseases. Poor oral health may directly lead to bacterial colonization which may facilitate bacteremia and chronic inflammation of multiple organ systems. Furthermore, poor oral health frequently contributes to avoidable hospital admissions thereby adding to public and private healthcare expenditures. Persons with MI are at higher risk of dental disease related morbidity due to multiple reasons which include poor insight, lower interest or motivation, financial challenges, side effects of psychotropic medications and comorbid substance use along with barriers related to knowledge, attitudes and access to dental health care system. Poor oral health status (OHS), in part, with other high rates of systemic illnesses among patients with MI is associated with 25 years lower life expectancy than the general population. In this research, we examined OHS of patients with MI and investigated associated underlying reasons in terms of perceptions, beliefs and practices among persons with MI, psychiatrists and dentists. Establishing the current state of awareness, challenges and practices towards oral health in this vulnerable population may help in designing much needed interventions to improve dental, psychiatric and other systemic morbidity outcomes.