Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of In-Patients of a Nigerian Psychiatric Hospital

Bolanle O.  AKINBOBOYE; Olutayo  JAMES; Clement C  AZODO; Adegbayi A.  ADEKUNLE; Stephen O.  OLUWANIYI

Authors

Bolanle O. AKINBOBOYE Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Lagos
Olutayo JAMES Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Lagos
Clement C AZODO Department of Periodontics, University of Benin, Benin City
Adegbayi A. ADEKUNLE Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos
Stephen O. OLUWANIYI ederal Neuro – Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba

Abstract

Objective: Mental disorders have been reported to increase the risk to neglect of oral care. The objective of
this study was to determine the oral health and treatment needs of psychiatric in-patients and compare with
non-psychiatric patients.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos
and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, Lagos. A structured questionnaire was administered by
investigators to the two groups of participants case group (psychiatric patient) and the control group (dental
patient with no psychiatric history). This included mini international neuropsychiatry interview (M.IN.I)
questionnaire to ascertain the diagnoses. Other information sought included missing teeth, retained teeth,
carious teeth and tooth wear lesions were noted during oral examination.
Results: A total of 167 participants were seen (81 were in the control group and 86 in the case group). Age
range was from 18-90 years. The mean age was 41.44±14.98 years. All the participants (2.99%) with
retained root were in case group. The majority (52.3%) of the participants in case group were dentate
(p=0.001). The control group had the highest proportion of participants with good oral hygiene (p= 0.09).
Carious teeth (p =0.33) and the number of teeth affected by tooth wear lesion were found to more in the case
group (p= 0.02).
Conclusion: Psychiatric patients had poor oral health compared to non-psychiatric patients. There was also
a higher restorative and surgical treatment need in psychiatric patients.