Comparison of oral and dental health status between inpatients with schizophrenia at Razi hospital of Tabriz and healthy controls

Abstract

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness which may be characterized by negative symptoms (apathy, social withdrawal, lack of motivation) and cognitive deficits. Impairment in self-care, grooming and oral health is also noted. This study was aimed to evaluate oral and dental health status among hospitalized patients in Razi mental hospital in Tabriz, Iran during 2019. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, totally 80 people (equal genders) including 40 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy matched controls were recruited conveniently from among non-psychiatric outpatient poly-clinic referrals. Oral health status was measured by decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) index, community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN) and xerostomia index (XI). Data were analyzed through SPSS version 25 by student's t-test, chi square, Pearson and Spearman correlation tests. P-values under 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: In both groups 75% of males were smoker. The mean DMFT in patients (19.25) was significantly greater than controls (15.56, P=0.02). The mean CPITN in patients (2.21) was significantly greater than controls (1.89, P=0.02). The means of xerostomia indices were 1.45 for case group and 0.35 for controls. There was a significant difference between the groups (P=0.001). Conclusion: Based on cognitive deficits and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, oral hygiene is considerably lower than normal populations. This is of a great hint for policy-makers, clinicians, healthcare professionals and family members to emphasize on prevention of oral and dental lesions among afflicted patients.