Study Examines the Link Between Mental Health and Oral Health

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      Summary: Study reveals a link between oral health problems and a range of mental health and addiction disorders.

      Source: International Association for Dental Research

      A study examining the mental health-oral health association cross-sectionally and longitudinally was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the AADOCR, held in conjunction with the 47th Annual Meeting of the CADR. The AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition took place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on March 15-18, 2023.

      The study, led by Alex Kalaigian of the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry, acquired self-reported data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.

      The Global Appraisal Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS) measured mental health symptoms according to three disorder categorizations: 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 survey-weighted prevalence of six oral health outcomes according to 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, sex, tobacco use, etc.) with imputation for missing values.

      This shows dental tools
      The study concluded that providers should expect higher levels of oral disease among patients with adverse mental health conditions. Image is in the public domain

      Cross-sectionally, all six adverse oral health outcomes demonstrated a statistically significant greater prevalence over increasing severity of mental health problems. For example, the adjusted odds of bone loss around teeth were 1.79-times greater [95%CI 1.30-2.46] at high versus none/low categories of internalizing problems.

      Longitudinally, associations with externalizing and substance use problems largely dissipated, but multiple associations with internalizing problems persisted. For example, the adjusted odds of bleeding gums were 1.40-times greater [95%CI 1.22-1.62] at high versus none/low categories of internalizing problems.

      The study concluded that providers should expect higher levels of oral disease among patients with adverse mental health conditions. Independent of externalizing and substance use problems, symptoms of internalizing problems are a plausible risk factor of future adverse oral health.

      These results may inform both medical and dental communities in diagnosing and providing treatment to individuals suffering from mental illness.

      About this mental health research news

      Author: Press Office
      Source: International Association for Dental Research
      Contact: Press Office – International Association for Dental Research
      Image: The image is in the public domain

      Original Research: The findings will be presented at the AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition

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      4 Comments

      1. Perhaps we are again missing the obvious. anything that makes us feel more confident is good for our ‘mental’ health. Having a good set of teeth makes us feel more confident.

      2. Thank you very, very much for this research, but I see something curious. I have studied the impact of oral disease/decay on physical/mental health health. I’ve not looked at thi study in depth since it’s not yet published, but the article says: “The study concluded that providers should expect higher levels of oral disease among patients with adverse mental health conditions.”
        But might it be equally logical to say: “The study concluded that providers should expect higher levels of adverse mental health conditions among patients with oral disease”? The study started with “measur[ing subjects’] mental health symptoms” and then evaluated “[s]ix oral health conditions.”
        To my understanding there is considerable debate about the impact of dental disease on other areas of the body’s health. Of course, empirical research is critical to advance science, but I suspect many doctors would contend that the authors’ conclusions are simply established common sense.
        Albeit not easy to do, a more revealing, significant study might be research starting with subjects with a certain level of oral disease and evaluating the level of their mental health symptoms, no?

      3. I have only ever been addicted to Nicotine, recently managed to kick the dreaded tobacco product. However now use a vape containing Nicotine.Would be interesting to know if any research has yet been conducted into this method of introducing Nicotine into the system. And of course its effects.

      4. Being a full denture wearer at age 45, I was interested in this article. Unfortunately, I’m not even sure what this article says. There’s a lot of doctor speak and words I don’t understand.

      Comments are closed.