title: Perceptions of oral health by those living with mental illnesses in the Victorian Community - The consumer's perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the way people living with mental illness in an Australian community experience and define oral health.
  
  
  METHODS
  People living with serious mental illness in the Victorian Community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative methodologies were used in this study. Two focus groups and four semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were transcribed and thematically analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants generally valued oral health and recognized that attending regular dental appointments played a key role in improving their oral health. Participants felt that their mental illness overwhelmed their ability to maintain good oral health. Coping, dental fear, stigma, financial barriers and communication were identified as issues around utilization and access to care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Experiences of oral health were both positive and negative. Barriers and enablers, extending beyond participant oral health literacy for oral health, were identified from the data, and recommendations around personal, environmental and clinical supports were made.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a valuable study that provides new insight into a complicated issue. Recommendations to create a supportive dental environment and direction to improve the dental experience have been made to make oral health more accessible for people living with mental illness. Recommendations have also been made for community-based mental health organizations to aid the improvements in oral health with this group of people, thus building a collaborative approach to support oral health for this vulnerable group.
authors.affiliation: B.Oral Health (Hons) Melbourne Dental School, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: H D
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0761-3902
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor Oral Health Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Satur
authors.affiliation: Neami National, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meldrum
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003729:Dental Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009909:Oral Health; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014739:Victoria
keywords: collaboration; dental health; mental illness; oral health; public health; qualitative