The effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on dental plaque index of adolescence with bipolar mood disorder

Abstract

Objective: Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness characterized by changes in a person's mood, intellectual content, and behavioral patterns between extreme happiness (mania) and depression. During periods of depression, many patients show a marked decrease in the level of oral hygiene, which is accompanied by an increase in tooth caries and periodontal disease. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment based on which the problem in question is changed by some correct cognitions and beliefs, and the patient is participated in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and modify maladaptive behavior patterns. Very few studies have been conducted on this subject, so the purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy technique on the oral and dental health of adolescents aged 12 to 18 years with the bipolar mood disorder.

Materials and methods: In this study, 60 patients with bipolar mood disorder aged 12 to 18 were selected and their dental plaque index was measured and recorded, and then they were given regular health education 3 times for 3 weeks. After that, the patients were divided into two groups, case and control, and matched in terms of age and primary plaque index values. The case group participated in 8 face-to-face oral hygiene training sessions with cognitive-behavioral therapy technique. One month after the end of the sessions, the participants were examined and their plaque index were recorded. Then, the change of plaque index between groups were compared. In order to compare plaque index between two groups, analysis of covariance was used and SPSS 24 software was used for data analysis. A probability value of less than 0.05 was considered as a significant level.

Results: In both study groups, plaque index values decreased significantly at the end of the study compared to the beginning of the study. The results of the variance analysis to compare the mean plaque index values at the end of the study in the case and control groups, after adjusting the effect of the confounding variable of the index plaque values at the beginning of the study, showed that the average of the two groups has a statistically significant difference from each other, and in other words, case group showed a greater decrease in plaque index values.

Conclusion: Cognitive behavioral therapy may have a positive effect on improving the oral health of adolescents with bipolar mood disorder.