Resume: Study reveals link between oral health problems and a range of mental and addiction disorders.
Source: International Association for Dental Research
At the AADOCR’s 52nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition, held in conjunction with the CADR’s 47th Annual Meeting, a study was presented that examined the Association for Mental Health and Oral Health cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition took place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland March 15-18, 2023.
The study, led by Alex Kalaigian of the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry, obtained self-reported data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study.
The Global Appraisal Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS) measured psychological symptoms according to three categories of disorders: internalizing, externalizing, and substance use.
Six oral health conditions were evaluated: self-rated oral health, bleeding gums, loose teeth, tooth loss, gum disease, and bone loss. A cross-sectional analysis within PATH Wave 4 (2016-2018, N=30,753) compared the survey-weighted prevalence of six oral health outcomes by severity of mental health problems.
Prospectively, PATH Wave 5 (2018-2019) oral health outcomes were assessed according to Wave 4 mental health problems (N=26,177). Survey-weighted logistic regression models controlled for confounders (age, gender, tobacco use, etc.) with imputation for missing values.
Cross-sectionally, all six adverse oral health outcomes showed statistically significantly greater prevalence than increasing severity of mental health problems. For example, the adjusted chance of bone loss around teeth was 1.79 times greater [95%CI 1.30-2.46] in high versus no/low categories of internalizing problems.
Longitudinally, the associations with externalizing problems and substance use problems largely disappeared, but several associations with internalizing problems persisted. For example, the adjusted risk of gum bleeding was 1.40 times greater [95%CI 1.22-1.62] in high versus no/low categories of internalizing problems.
The study concluded that health care providers should expect higher levels of oral disease in patients with adverse mental health conditions. Independent of externalizing problems and substance use problems, symptoms of internalizing problems are a plausible risk factor for future adverse oral health.
These results can inform both medical and dental communities in diagnosing and treating individuals suffering from mental illness.
About this news about mental health research
Author: Press Office
Source: International Association for Dental Research
Contact: Press Service – International Association for Dental Research
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Original research: The findings will be presented at the AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition