Psychiatric disorders

Minireview on the Connections between the Neuropsychiatric and Dental Disorders: Current Perspectives and the Possible Relevance of Oxidative Stress and Other Factors

“…Therefore, one of the possible causes for all the aspects mentioned in the table could also be represented also by the treatment administrated for most of the neuropsychiatric disorders, as some of these medications can interact with drugs used in dentistry [ 1 ] and also since it was showed before for example, that specific drugs such as lithium [ 34 ] could generate xerostomia (dry month, as previously mentioned) and stomatitis, while this could represent a general effect for most of the neuropsychiatric treatments such as antipsychotics, antidepressants (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: SSRIs) or mood stabilizers [ 14 ].…”

“…Dental disorders have a multifactorial origin, being correlated with an umbrella of risk factors and disorders going from the existence of transmitters in the teeth, oral infestation by insects or worms [ 1 ], feeling that the upper part of the mouth is pushing to the brains (press case report by our group) to the faulty personal hygiene in dementia [ 2 ], schizophrenia [ 3 ] or mental retardation [ 4 ], and peaking with the removal of all healthy teeth, e.g., in schizophrenia, in just 6 months and refusal of prosthodontic treatment [ 5 ]. Risk factors for a bereft dental hygiene even in healthy patients with an otherwise healthy oral state are vitamin B deficits related to alcohol abuse [ 6 ], considering that alcohol and drug consumption is toxic per se for teeth, and perhaps oxidative stress implications in this context [ 7 , 8 ], as well as the lack of an appropriate and equilibrated diet.…”

“…Classical risk factors for teeth decay and periodontal problems are represented by various body dysmorphic disorders [ 9 ] and psychosomatic delusions (e.g., halitophobia or even phantom bite syndrome [ 1 , 10 , 11 ] together with cenesthopathies (e.g., various types of abnormal sensations without somatic aberrant findings—some of these complaints being listed in Umezaki and his team's article and classified according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—5 (DMS-5) criteria as delusional disorders, somatic type (DDST) [ 12 ] as well as anxiety and panic-attacks-associated dryness (xerostomia) of the oral mucosa and reduced saliva [ 13 , 14 ]. A specific example is the paper of Takenoshita's group from 2010, which clearly demonstrated that from 162 patients presenting burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and atypical odontalgia (AO) (both somatoform disorders referring to pain without a clear organic cause) most of them were likely to exhibit mood or affective disorders in the AO case versus neurotic and stress-related manifestations—more common in BMS patients [ 15 ].…”

“…The most common neuropsychiatric disorder that has an impact on the oral health is anxiety with almost 50% of patients known to exhibit different levels of anxiety on their dental visits [ 15 ] measured by dental anxiety scales developed to evaluate such manifestations [ 17 , 18 ] and with aesthetic matters and affected self-image (e.g., dentition aspect) contributing to the levels of anxiety and depression-like behaviors [ 1 ]. In addition, some studies suggest that the specific dental anxiety is not even a component of their classical general anxiety disorders family but rather belongs to the group of mood disorders by using specific scales such as dental anxiety scale and Patient Health Questionnaire.…”

“…Some stomatological deficiencies related to bulimia and anorexia (which might be observed initially by the dental specialist) [ 1 ] might conclude with some serious damage of the teeth [ 13 , 15 ].…”