Importance of oral health in mental health disorders: An updated review

Background

Mental disorders are indeed an expanding threat, which requires raised awareness, education, prevention, and treatment initiatives nationally and globally. This review presents an updated review on the relationships between oral health and mental health disorders and the importance of oral health in mental health disorders.

Method

A literature search was done regarding mental disorders and oral health approaches in Google Scholar and PubMed from the year 1995 until 2023. All the English-language papers were evaluated based on the inclusion criteria. Publications included original research papers, review articles and book chapters.

Results

Common mental disorders include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, dementia, and alcohol and drug use disorders. The interplay of oral health and mental disorders involves dysregulated microbiome, translocated bacteria, and systemic inflammation, among others.

Conclusion

There is a complex relationship between mental disorders and oral diseases. Various oral health problems are associated with mental health problems. The interplay of oral health and mental disorders involves dysregulated microbiome, translocated bacteria, and systemic inflammation, among others. Mental health nurses including physicians and dental professionals should be involved in the oral health care of mental health disorder patients. Therefore, multidisciplinary should be involved in the care of mental health disorders, and they should consider oral health care as an essential part of their care for patients with mental health disorders. Future investigations should strive to elucidate the exact biological relationships, to develop new directions for treatment.

Annual review of selected scientific literature: A report of the Committee on Scientific Investigation of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry

The Scientific Investigation Committee of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry offers this review of the 2020 professional literature in restorative dentistry to inform busy dentists regarding noteworthy scientific and clinical progress over the past year. Each member of the committee brings discipline-specific expertise to this work to cover this broad topic. Specific subject areas addressed include prosthodontics; periodontics, alveolar bone, and peri-implant tissues; implant dentistry; dental materials and therapeutics; occlusion and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs); sleep-related breathing disorders; oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial surgery; and dental caries and cariology. The authors focused their efforts on reporting information likely to influence day-to-day dental treatment decisions with a keen eye on future trends in the profession. With the tremendous volume of dentistry and related literature being published today, this review cannot possibly be comprehensive. The purpose is to update interested readers and provide important resource material for those interested in pursuing greater detail. It remains our intent to assist colleagues in navigating the extensive volume of important information being published annually. It is our hope that readers find this work useful in successfully managing the dental patients they encounter.

Chewing function and related parameters as a function of the degree of dementia: Is there a link between the brain and the mouth?

Background

To date, no study has investigated the association between chewing function and related parameters as a function of the degree of dementia using a finer subdivision of the values of the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the differences in chewing function and related parameters as a function of the degree of dementia.

Methods

An analysis of cross‐sectional data obtained from the OrBiD (Oral Health, Bite Force, and Dementia) pilot study was performed. The participants were stratified into five groups based on the outcomes of the MMSE (no dementia, MMSE 28–30; mild cognitive impairment, MMSE 25–27; mild dementia, MMSE 18–24; moderate dementia, MMSE 10–17; severe dementia, MMSE <10). The chewing efficiency, maximum occlusal force and related parameters (number of supporting zones, number of teeth, Eichner index, tooth/denture status, denture quality, and dental treatment needs) were recorded.

Results

The MMSE groups showed significantly different chewing efficiencies (p = .003, Jonckheere‐Terpstra test) and maximum occlusal forces (p = .003, Jonckheere‐Terpstra test), but the number of supporting zones (p = .055, chi‐square test) and the number of natural teeth (p = .126, chi‐square test) were not different. The Eichner index, tooth/denture status, denture quality and dental treatment need showed no significant associations with the degree of dementia.

Conclusion

An improvement in the usability of the measurement methods for assessing chewing function in people with dementia is needed. Research involving people with dementia is necessary because the nutritional situation often deteriorates rapidly within a multifactorial system, which includes chewing ability and oral health.

Cognitive changes and neural correlates after oral rehabilitation procedures in older adults: a protocol for an interventional study

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological studies show an association between masticatory function and cognitive impairment. This has further strengthened the notion that tooth loss and impaired masticatory function may be risk factors for dementia and cognitive decline. Animal experiments have indicated a causal relationship and several possible mechanisms have been discussed. This evidence is, however, lacking in humans. Therefore, in the current interventional study, we aim to investigate the effect of rehabilitation of masticatory function on cognition in older adults.

METHODS

Eighty patients indicated for prosthodontic rehabilitation will be randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. Participants will conduct neuropsychological assessments, masticatory performance tests, saliva tests, optional magnetic resonance imaging, and answer questionnaires on oral health impact profiles and hospital anxiety and depression scale before, 3 months, and 1 year after oral rehabilitation. The difference between the two groups is that the control group will be tested an additional time, (at an interval of about 3 months) before the onset of the oral rehabilitation procedure. The primary outcome is a change in measures of episodic memory performance.

DISCUSSION

Although tooth loss and masticatory function are widespread in older people, it is still an underexplored modifiable risk factor potentially contributing to the development of cognitive impairment. If rehabilitation of masticatory function shows positive effects on the neurocognitive function, this will have great implications on future health care for patients with impaired masticatory status. The present project may provide a new avenue for the prevention of cognitive decline in older individuals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The protocol for the study was retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04458207, dated 02-07-2020.