Evidence mapPaperPMID 41883288Full record

ArticleEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences2026

Oral health in people with schizophrenia: associations with behavioural and pharmacological factors.

Leire Urien, Ainara Arnaiz, Xabier Marichalar-Mendia, Unax Lertxundi, Jose de Leon, Agate Txurruka, Nerea Jauregizar, Teresa Morera-Herreras

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Article in Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Leire UrienDepartment of Stomatology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
Ainara ArnaizBiobizkaia Health Research Institute, Mental Health Network, Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain.
Xabier Marichalar-MendiaDepartment of Nursing I, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
Unax LertxundiBioaraba Health Research Institute, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Araba Mental Health Network, Araba Psychiatric Hospital, Pharmacy Service, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Jose de LeonMental Health Research Center, Eastern State Hospital, Lexington, KY, USA.
Agate TxurrukaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
Nerea JauregizarDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
Teresa Morera-HerrerasDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7601-4914

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThis study aimed to assess the oral health status of individuals with schizophrenia and explore its association with behavioural and pharmacological factors, with particular focus on long-term antipsychotic treatment and cumulative anticholinergic burden.

methodsA total of 153 adults with schizophrenia (18-65 years) from the Mental Health Network of Bizkaia (Spain), all under antipsychotic treatment for ≥12 months, were evaluated and compared with 153 controls from the general population. Data on socio-demographic variables, tobacco use and oral hygiene habits were collected. Oral health was assessed using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). Unstimulated salivary flow was measured, and subjective xerostomia symptoms were recorded. Cumulative anticholinergic burden was estimated using the Drug Burden Index, considering both psychotropic and non-psychotropic medications. The association between dental health and clinical, behavioural and pharmacological variables was analysed in patients with schizophrenia.

resultsPatients with schizophrenia exhibited significantly poorer oral health than controls, with higher mean DMFT scores (15.3 vs. 10.9;

conclusionsOral health is substantially compromised in individuals with schizophrenia, reflecting a multifactorial interplay of behavioural, systemic and pharmacological factors. Both cumulative anticholinergic burden and reduced salivary flow independently contribute to poorer dental health, while periodontal disease appears to result from more complex influences not fully captured with studied variables. These findings underscore the importance of proactive clinical strategies, including regular dental assessments, targeted oral hygiene interventions, interdisciplinary collaboration between mental health and dental care providers and careful review of psychopharmacological regimens to minimize unnecessary anticholinergic exposure. Such integrated approaches are essential to preserve oral health, enhance quality of life and improve long-term outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Indexed as

Antipsychotic AgentsCholinergic AntagonistsOral HealthOral HygienePeriodontal DiseasesSchizophreniaXerostomiaAdolescentAdultAgedDMF IndexFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPeriodontal IndexAntipsychotic AgentsCholinergic Antagonistsanticholinergic burdenDMFT indexoral healthperiodontal diseasesalivary flowschizophrenia

Identifiers

PMID41883288
PMCPMC13122550

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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.