The Dental Health of People with Schizophrenia
The purpose of this study was to compare the dental health of non-hospitalized people with schizophrenia with that of the general population. The study was conducted in six different areas in the UK and was comprised of self-report surveys. The questionnaire was given to 602 patients with schizophrenia; 391 were males and 211 were female, the mean age was 43 years old, and the mean onset of illness was 23 years old. Only 428 patients completed the questionnaire. The general population group was comprised of 6,204 people.
The first part of the study focused on how many teeth schizophrenic people had compared to the general population and was broken down into age brackets. In the younger age groups, the schizophrenic population had a 3-39% were edentulous; the general UK population had a range of 1-20% that were edentulous. The number of people with more than 20 teeth (the minimum number of teeth considered necessary for adequate oral function) was also greater in the general population than in the group of schizophrenics; 7-90% range for the schizophrenic population versus 29-97% in the general UK population.
The remainder of the study focused only on responses from schizophrenic patients in the Nithsdale region of Scotland to those of the Scottish general population. Questions included why the person last went to the dentist (check-up/trouble with teeth), if the person were edentulous, what type of restorations they had, and if they brush teeth daily. The schizophrenic patients had a higher percentage of going to the dentist because of trouble with their teeth or gums and a lower percentage of visiting the dentist for check-ups. They also had a higher number of restorations and a higher rate of being edentulous. 75% of the Nithsdale schizophrenic patients reported that they brushed their teeth daily compared to 96% of the general Scottish population.
This study seems to show that schizophrenic patients have poorer oral health than the general population. This is partly due to a lack of daily self-care and regular dental check-ups.
References McCreadie, R., Stevens, H., Henderson, J., Hall, D., McCaul, R., Filik, R., Young, G., Sutch, G., Kanagaratnam, G., Perrington, S., McKendrick, J., Stephenson, D., & Burns, T. (2004). The dental health of people with schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 110(4), 306-310. Retrieved , from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=cab7425b-96dd-4b4e-bfa6-d25abe87437e%40sessionmgr198&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=14359290 doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00373.x.
The purpose of this study was to compare the dental health of non-hospitalized people with schizophrenia with that of the general population. The study was conducted in six different areas in the UK and was comprised of self-report surveys. The questionnaire was given to 602 patients with schizophrenia; 391 were males and 211 were female, the mean age was 43 years old, and the mean onset of illness was 23 years old. Only 428 patients completed the questionnaire. The general population group was comprised of 6,204 people.
The first part of the study focused on how many teeth schizophrenic people had compared to the general population and was broken down into age brackets. In the younger age groups, the schizophrenic population had a 3-39% were edentulous; the general UK population had a range of 1-20% that were edentulous. The number of people with more than 20 teeth (the minimum number of teeth considered necessary for adequate oral function) was also greater in the general population than in the group of schizophrenics; 7-90% range for the schizophrenic population versus 29-97% in the general UK population.
The remainder of the study focused only on responses from schizophrenic patients in the Nithsdale region of Scotland to those of the Scottish general population. Questions included why the person last went to the dentist (check-up/trouble with teeth), if the person were edentulous, what type of restorations they had, and if they brush teeth daily. The schizophrenic patients had a higher percentage of going to the dentist because of trouble with their teeth or gums and a lower percentage of visiting the dentist for check-ups. They also had a higher number of restorations and a higher rate of being edentulous. 75% of the Nithsdale schizophrenic patients reported that they brushed their teeth daily compared to 96% of the general Scottish population.
This study seems to show that schizophrenic patients have poorer oral health than the general population. This is partly due to a lack of daily self-care and regular dental check-ups.
References McCreadie, R., Stevens, H., Henderson, J., Hall, D., McCaul, R., Filik, R., Young, G., Sutch, G., Kanagaratnam, G., Perrington, S., McKendrick, J., Stephenson, D., & Burns, T. (2004). The dental health of people with schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 110(4), 306-310. Retrieved , from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=cab7425b-96dd-4b4e-bfa6-d25abe87437e%40sessionmgr198&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=14359290 doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00373.x.