Oral and dental health in hospitalized psychiatric patients: a cross-sectional and comparative study in Kerman, Iran

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess oral and dental health of hospitalized psychiatric patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study which included 193 psychiatric patients was conducted in two psychiatric hospitals (Shahid Beheshti and Bahman) in Kerman, Iran. According to the duration of the hospital stay, patients were categorized into two groups of acute and chronic. The oral and dental health of the patients was assessed using Decay, Missing, Filling Teeth (DMF-T) index and Oral Assessment Guide for Psychiatric Care (OAG-PC). High score for these two scales indicated a worse oral and dental health. Results: Mean (±SD) DMFT and OAG-PC scores of the patients were 19.74 (±7.88) and 20.77, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that patients in chronic group had higher OAG-PC (P = 0.014), but the difference of DMF-T scores was not statistically significant between the two groups (P = 0.57). After controlling confounding variables, the differences of the DMF-T and OAG-PC scores were not statistically significant between the two groups (P values of 0.88 and 0.64, respectively). Conclusion: Oral and dental health in the studied psychiatric patients was poor. It is vital to improve the oral and dental health status of psychiatric patients.