A Comparative Study of Oral Health Status of Outpatients with Mental Disorders and Healthy Controls in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine and compare the oral health status of outpatients with mental disorders (OPMDs) and healthy controls (HCs) in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. Methodology: A comparative cross-sectional study among 140 OPMDs was consecutively recruited from the Mental Health Clinic of a Nigerian tertiary teaching hospital. Furthermore, 140 age- and sex-matched HCs screened using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire were recruited from the general outpatient clinic. Oral health status was assessed using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, the community periodontal index modified (CPI modified), the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), and the gingival index (GI). Bivariate analyses were carried out to make comparisons between the two groups, and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 280 participants were recruited. This comprised 68 male participants and 72 female participants in each group. The mean DMFT in the OPMD group was 0.50 (±1.09) and 0.17 (0.645) for the HC group. The prevalence of dental caries was 24.3% in the OPMD group and 10% in the HC group. The mean OHI-S score was 2.68 (±0.97) and 2.38 (±0.98) and GI score was 1.09 (±0.46) and 0.87 (±0.87), while clinical attachment loss was seen in 48.5% and 32.8% for the OPMD and HC groups, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of common oral diseases in OPMD was higher compared to HC, thus the study provides evidence on the poor oral health of OPMD. Furthermore, there is a need to incorporate preventive dental education into the management of OPMD.