A comparative study of oral health status of outpatients with mental disorders and healthy controls in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Abstract

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