title: Oral health of psychiatric inpatients: a survey of central Taiwan hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to investigate the status of oral health and its determinants in a group of psychiatric inpatients in central Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of the oral health of psychiatric inpatients (n=200) in three hospitals in central Taiwan was carried out during a half-year period. Demographic data and data on oral health habits, dental visit frequency, treatment fear and dental health knowledge were collected. Oral health was determined by the Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, Community Periodontal Index (CPI), Plaque Index and Gingival Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In terms of prevalence of caries, the mean DMFT score for all patients was 14.9 ± 8.8 (S.D.), which was significantly worse than that in the general population. The CPI showed that only 10% of patients were periodontally healthy, 9.5% had bleeding, 31% had calculus and 49.5% had periodontal pockets. Increasing age, treatment anxiety, neglect of tooth-brushing and chronic ward inpatients were predictive factors for poor periodontal health. The self-awareness of poor oral health was inadequate and the treatment needs were huge in psychiatric inpatients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The oral health of psychiatric inpatients was poor compared with the general population and was generally ignored by the patients themselves. The phenomenon is universal, occurring in both Western and Eastern countries.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lu-Kang, Taiwan.
authors: Po-Ren
authors: PR
authors: Teng
authors: Jo-Mei
authors: JM
authors: Su
authors: Wei-Hsiang
authors: WH
authors: Chang
authors: Te-Jen
authors: TJ
authors: Lai