SynthesisFrontiers in oral health2025
Oral health care challenges in individuals with severe mental illness: a qualitative meta-synthesis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in oral health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Co-Producing an Intervention Involving Dental Professionals Providing Oral Health Support in a Mental Healthcare Setting.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Dental service utilization among hospitalized patients with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders: a Norwegian cross-sectional study.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- Dental treatment and oral care for patients with severe mental illness receiving psychiatric home-visit care: A narrative review with an illustrative case.Journal of dental sciences · 2026Review
- Tooth Loss and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life: A Study in a Convenience Sample from Austria.Dentistry journal · 2025Article
- Association Between Self-Reported Psychiatric Diseases and Oral Health Among Older Adults.Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric DentistryArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) experience significantly higher rates of poor oral health, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and edentulism, compared to the general population. This meta-synthesis investigates the challenges faced by individuals with SMI in managing oral health and potential solutions. Methods: A comprehensive literature search (2010-2024) was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar for any-language studies. The meta-synthesis involved systematic article selection, quality appraisal, and thematic data extraction/synthesis. Results: From 1,698 records, 101 full-text articles were reviewed; 11 met the inclusion criteria. Findings consistently demonstrate a high prevalence of poor oral health outcomes (caries, tooth loss, periodontal disease) among individuals with SMI, alongside significantly lower engagement in oral hygiene (e.g., toothbrushing) and dental care-seeking behaviours. Key barriers include financial constraints, dental anxiety, medication side effects (notably xerostomia), and low oral health awareness. Stigma and inadequate dental professional training in mental health further impede access. Proposed solutions emphasise integrating oral health education into psychiatric rehabilitation, enhancing communication between dental and mental health providers, and developing tailored support systems. Evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship between oral and mental health. Conclusion: This meta-synthesis confirms a stark oral health disparity for individuals with SMI, driven by suboptimal hygiene, medication effects, limited health literacy, and formidable access barriers compounded by financial hardship and stigma. Addressing this requires urgent, coordinated integration of mental and oral healthcare through co-located services, interdisciplinary collaboration, and tailored interventions. Future research must prioritise quantitative studies to elucidate causal pathways and long-term impacts, rigorously examining the roles of gender, geography, environment, and comorbidities. Bridging this divide is an essential public health imperative demanding systemic reform. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024516535, identifier PROSPERO [CRD42024516535].
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.