Improving oral health in people with severe mental illness (SMI): A systematic review

Background Those with severe mental illness (SMI) are at greater risk of having poor oral health, which can have an impact on daily activities such as eating, socialising and working. There is currently a lack of evidence to suggest which oral health interventions are effective for improving oral health outcomes for people with SMI. Aims This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of oral health interventions in improving oral health outcomes for those with SMI. Methods The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (ID CRD42020187663). Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, HMIC, CINAHL, Scopus and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies, along with conference proceedings and grey literature sources. Titles and abstracts were dual screened by two reviewers. Two reviewers also independently performed full text screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessments. Due to heterogeneity between studies, a narrative synthesis was undertaken. Results In total, 1462 abstracts from the database search and three abstracts from grey literature sources were identified. Following screening, 12 studies were included in the review. Five broad categories of intervention were identified: dental education, motivational interviewing, dental checklist, dietary change and incentives. Despite statistically significant changes in plaque indices and oral health behaviours as a result of interventions using dental education, motivational interviewing and incentives, it is unclear if these changes are clinically significant. Conclusion Although some positive results in this review demonstrate that dental education shows promise as an intervention for those with SMI, the quality of evidence was graded as very low to moderate quality. Further research is in this area is required to provide more conclusive evidence.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Oral Health Outcomes in U.S. Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study of the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health

This study investigated the cross-sectional associations between exposure to nine Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and U.S. children’s and adolescent’s oral health outcomes. Data from 41,294 participants of the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) were analyzed. Past year exposure to ACE, oral health outcomes (decayed teeth, bleeding gums, and condition of the teeth), and child and caregiver sociodemographic factors were self-reported. Using SAS v. 9.4, propensity score weighted, multilevel survey-logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) of the proposed associations. The overall mean (SE) age was 8.9 (0.1) years with 51% being male. Fifty-four percent (54%) identified as non-Hispanic white, and 12% as non-Hispanic black. The prevalence of the nine ACE measures ranged from 3% for caregiver death to 25% for financial hardship and parental divorce. Children who experienced caregiver mental illness, when compared to those who did not, were more likely to report decayed teeth (AOR: 1.73 (95% CI: 1.24, 2.42)) and the condition of their teeth as fair/poor (AOR: 1.60, 95% CI: 0.61, 4.19). Children in households with financial hardship were about twice as likely to report dental caries (AOR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.50, 2.29) and have fair/poor teeth (AOR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.51) and bleeding gums (AOR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.48, 3.86). ACEs appear to be associated with worse oral health outcomes among children and adolescents. Nevertheless, the cross-sectional nature of this study precludes a causal interpretation of these findings and necessitates more research to elucidate the oral health impacts of exposure to ACEs in longitudinal follow-up studies.

Oral Health in New Zealand: Findings from the New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07

<p>This thesis investigates oral health in New Zealand. This is carried out through an analysis of the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) which was undertaken by the Ministry of Health in 2006/07. The World Health Organisation recognises oral health as an integral part of general health and a basic human right. The New Zealand government also recognises the importance of oral health and aims to be proactive in addressing the needs of those at greatest risk of poor oral health. This analysis identifies those who have poorer oral health and less regular oral health care. The New Zealand goverment also aims for high-quality oral health services that promote, improve, maintain and restore good oral health to all New Zealanders. The results of the NZHS 2006/07 showed that the mean number of teeth lost due to tooth decay and gum disease in people aged 15 and over is 4.59 (4.56,4.61). This is strongly associated with age, with younger people having lost fewer teeth. Alcohol as well as fruit and vegetable intake had no association with tooth loss in adults. Fizzy drink intake was not significantly associated with poor child oral health, however a higher number of take away meals eaten by children consistently led to poorer oral health for those children. Ethnicity and deprivation were associated with tooth loss, regularity of oral health care, time since last oral health care visit, unmet oral health care need in the past 12 months and urgent unmet need. Those from more deprived populations had lower rates of regular care and higher rates of need and tooth loss. The final component of this thesis is a comparison of oral health outcomes over time, using NZHS 2006/07 and the New Zealand data from the WHO International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes 1988 (ICS II). It was found that in 2006/07 more 12-13 year olds are brushing their teeth 2 or more times a day than in 1998, and that the time since last visit to an oral health care worker for adults has reduced over time.</p>

Oral Health in New Zealand: Findings from the New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07

<p>This thesis investigates oral health in New Zealand. This is carried out through an analysis of the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) which was undertaken by the Ministry of Health in 2006/07. The World Health Organisation recognises oral health as an integral part of general health and a basic human right. The New Zealand government also recognises the importance of oral health and aims to be proactive in addressing the needs of those at greatest risk of poor oral health. This analysis identifies those who have poorer oral health and less regular oral health care. The New Zealand goverment also aims for high-quality oral health services that promote, improve, maintain and restore good oral health to all New Zealanders. The results of the NZHS 2006/07 showed that the mean number of teeth lost due to tooth decay and gum disease in people aged 15 and over is 4.59 (4.56,4.61). This is strongly associated with age, with younger people having lost fewer teeth. Alcohol as well as fruit and vegetable intake had no association with tooth loss in adults. Fizzy drink intake was not significantly associated with poor child oral health, however a higher number of take away meals eaten by children consistently led to poorer oral health for those children. Ethnicity and deprivation were associated with tooth loss, regularity of oral health care, time since last oral health care visit, unmet oral health care need in the past 12 months and urgent unmet need. Those from more deprived populations had lower rates of regular care and higher rates of need and tooth loss. The final component of this thesis is a comparison of oral health outcomes over time, using NZHS 2006/07 and the New Zealand data from the WHO International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes 1988 (ICS II). It was found that in 2006/07 more 12-13 year olds are brushing their teeth 2 or more times a day than in 1998, and that the time since last visit to an oral health care worker for adults has reduced over time.</p>

Beverages Consumption and Oral Health in the Aging Population: A Systematic Review

Little study has yet been made of the effect of different beverages on oral health outcomes in the aging population. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the association between different beverages, including alcohol intake, coffee, milk, tea, and sugary drinks, and a cluster of oral health outcomes, including periodontal disease, oral dysbiosis, and tooth loss in older adults. The literature was screened from the inception up to May 2021 using six different electronic databases. Two independent researchers assessed the eligibility of 1308 retrieved articles regarding inclusion criteria; only 12 fitted the eligibility requirements, representing 16 beverage entries. A minimum age of 60 was the inclusion criterion. No exclusion criteria were applied to outcomes assessment tools, recruiting facilities (hospital or community), general health status, country, and study type (longitudinal or cross-sectional). The consumption of alcoholic beverages was expressed as alcohol intake in all eligible studies, thereby replacing alcoholic beverages in the analysis. The quality of evidence was judged as moderate for alcohol and low or very low for beverages. In regard to oral health in the elderly, the review identified information on alcohol (56.25%), followed by coffee (18.75%), milk (12.50%), tea (6.25%), and sugary drinks (6.25%). Alcohol, sugary drinks, and coffee were found to be related to tooth loss. Periodontal disease was inversely related to coffee and milk, but fostered by alcohol consumption. In one article, tea but not coffee seemed to improve oral microbiota. In summary, alcohol seems to be a driver for tooth loss and periodontal disease in the aging population. However, more research is needed to gain a more solid knowledge in this research area.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, PROSPERO, Identifier: CRD42021256386.

Individual and familial factors associated with caries and gingivitis among adolescents resident in a semi-urban community in South-Western Nigeria

Objectives We describe the prevalence, and individual and familial risk indicators for dental caries and gingivitis among 10–19-year-old adolescents in Ile-Ife, South-West Nigeria. Methods This cross-sectional study collected data through household surveys conducted between December 2018 and January 2019. Adolescents were recruited through multistage sampling. Oral health outcomes were caries, measured by the ‘Decayed, Missing due to caries, and Filled Teeth’ (DMFT) index, and gingivitis, measured by the Loe and Silness gingival index. Explanatory variables were individual (sex, age, oral health perception) and familial (socioeconomic status, birth rank, family size and parental living status) factors. Oral health behaviors (daily tooth-brushing, use of fluoridated toothpaste, consuming refined carbohydrates in-between meals, use of dental floss, dental service utilization in past 12 months, and smoking habits) were treated as confounders. Poisson regression models with robust estimation were constructed to determine associations between explanatory factors and oral health outcomes. Results A total of 1472 adolescents were surveyed. Caries prevalence was 3.4%, with mean (standard deviation) DMFT of 0.06 (0.36) and plaque index of 0.84 (0.56). Only 128 (8.7%) adolescents brushed their teeth twice daily, 192 (16.1%) used dental floss daily, 14 (1.1%) utilized dental services in the last 12 months, and 508 (36.1%) consumed refined carbohydrates in-between meals less than once daily. The proportion of respondents who currently smoked cigarettes was 1.6%, and 91.7% of respondents used fluoridated toothpaste daily. The adjusted prevalence ratio of having caries increased by 18% for every additional age-year (APR: 1.18; 95% CI 1.004, 1.34). Additionally, participants with high socioeconomic status had significantly lower prevalence of caries compared to those with lower status (APR: 0.40; 95% CI 0.17, 0.91). Moderate/severe gingivitis was significantly associated with higher frequency of consuming refined carbohydrates in-between meals (APR: 2.33; 95% CI 1.36, 3.99) and higher plaque index scores (APR: 16.24; 95% CI 9.83, 26.82). Conclusion Caries prevalence increased with increasing age and was higher among Nigerian adolescents with low socioeconomic status, while moderate/severe gingivitis was associated with frequent consumption of refined carbohydrates and higher plaque index score. While behavioral interventions may reduce the risk of gingivitis, structural interventions may be needed to reduce the risk for caries in this population.

Oral health inequality in people with severe mental illness: a cross-sectional study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2016

OBJECTIVETo explore whether people with severe mental illness (SMI) experience worse oral health compared to the general population, and the risk factors for poor oral health in people with SMI.METHODThis study used cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2016) including on self-rated oral health, ache in mouth, tooth loss, periodontitis stage, and number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth. Candidate risk factors for poor oral health included demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, physical health comorbidities, and dental hygiene behaviours. The authors used ordinal logistic regression and zero-inflated negative binomial models to explore predictors of oral health outcomes.RESULTS53,348 cases were included in the analysis, including 718 people with SMI. In the fully adjusted model, people with SMI were more likely to suffer from tooth loss (OR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.12-1.75). In people with SMI, the risk factors identified for poor oral health outcomes were older age, white ethnicity, lower income, smoking history, and diabetes. Engaging in physical activity and daily use of dental floss were associated with better oral health outcomes.CONCLUSIONSPeople with SMI experience higher rates of tooth loss than the general population, and certain subgroups are particularly at risk. Having a healthy lifestyle such as performing regular physical exercise and flossing may lower the risk of poor oral health. These findings suggest opportunities for targeted prevention and early intervention strategies to mitigate adverse oral health outcomes.Significant outcomes (x3)People with severe mental illness were at 40% higher risk of tooth loss when compared to the general population.Older adults, smokers and people with diabetes were at particularly high risk of poor oral health.Physical exercise and daily use of dental floss were associated with better oral health outcomes.Limitations (x3)The number of cases with data on periodontal disease was limited.The study was cross-sectional so causation could not be inferred.The analysis used prescriptions of antipsychotic and mood stabilising medication as a proxy measure of severe mental illness, as clinical diagnoses were not available in the dataset.Data availability statementThe NHANES 1999-2016 data is available at CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm, and is accessible and free to download for everyone.