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Self‐assessment of dental health among Danish noninstitutionalized psychiatric patients
Author(s) -
Hede Börge,
Petersen Poul Erik
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1754-4505.1992.tb00405.x
Subject(s) - medicine , danish , oral hygiene , oral health , depression (economics) , dental care , population , psychiatry , family medicine , dentistry , environmental health , philosophy , linguistics , economics , macroeconomics
This survey provides a description of the living conditions, dental health self‐assessment, dental health behavior, and knowledge and attitudes to dental care in a population of noninstitutionalized psychiatric patients. A total of 84 individuals (70% of the persons selected) were interviewed using a pretested structured questionnaire. One of five participants did not perform oral hygiene as a daily routine and 45% had no regular dental visit habits. A proportion of about 40% reported symptoms from teeth or gingiva within the previous year. Despite an acceptable level of general knowledge on caries and periodontal problems, only a small proportion were aware of the caries‐inducing potential of psychotropic drugs. People with more than five admissions to the psychiatric ward more often reported symptoms from teeth and gingiva; irregular dental visit habits were also related to number of admissions and to manic‐depression. The survey indicates poor oral health among psychiatric patients compared with the general population and the need for specific oral care programs leveled at noninstitutionalized psychiatric patients is stressed.