Oral-health status of inpatients with schizophrenia in Taiwan

Background/purpose: A cross-sectional survey of oral health was conducted in a specific psychiatric hospital in Yu-Li, Hualien County, eastern Taiwan in 2006. In this study, we provide descriptive epidemiological information on the oral-health status of inpatients with schizophrenia and evaluate associations between some potential factors and oral-health indices in this population. Materials and methods: In total, 1103 inpatients with schizophrenia participated in this survey. A clinical survey method, consisting of an oral examination with dental instruments and a light source, was used. The indices of this survey were consistent with those recommended by the World Health Organization. Multiple regression models were used to measure the independent effect of each subject's characteristics on specific oral-health indices. Results: Among subjects with schizophrenia, the caries experience was 98.5%; the average number of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) was 13.9; the mean filling rate of the DMFT index was 14.3%; average number of teeth was 17.7; 5% were edentulous; and 39.4% had periodontal pockets of >4 mm (community periodontal index ≥3). The multiple regression results indicated that the DMFT, number of teeth, and community periodontal index ≥3 were only associated with age after adjusting for other potential independent variables. At the same time, aging men with lower educational levels and a longer stay in institutions were likely to have lower filling rate of the DMFT index scores in this population. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate the unmet dental-treatment needs of inpatients with schizophrenia and support the conclusion that they lack proper dental care. We therefore suggest that long-term care institutions that care for inpatients with schizophrenia should exert greater efforts in providing dental care for this special population.