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How mental illness and oral hygiene are related
Mental health disorders are a disturbance in a person's emotions that cause problems in mental functioning. For example, the disorders can range from depression, anxiety, bipolar, and personality disorders. These mental health disorders can be a burden and are a daily challenge for many people. Joanne Hudson reports, "It is estimated around 792 million people suffer mental health illness". The Coronavirus has caused an increase in how many people are suffering mental health illness. There is found to be a strong correlation between people with mental health disorders and having dental fear. People suffering from mental health disorders can have problems arising due to neglect of daily care of oral hygiene. For example, the problems that may arise are dry mouth, dental caries, jaw pain, oral cancer, and periodontitis also called gum disease. In a twenty-five-year study, it was found that people suffering from mental health disorders have a 2.8 times increased chance of losing their teeth.

In a study of an Australian community, there was a semi-structured interview that included males and females over the age of eighteen. The goal was to see how having mental health challenges affects a person's overall health, focusing mainly on oral health. The results showed not going to the dentist for cleanings, and not brushing their teeth at all, resulted in signs of tooth decay.

Mental illness and oral hygiene in healthcare
Individuals are recommended to go to the dentist every six months for regular cleanings. The findings showed that individuals were less likely to do so because they felt that they would be treated differently, unfairly, or judged by the dentist. At a National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, a survey of about 150 questions was asked to a group of about 17,000 people. It was found that people struggling with bad oral health came from areas of low income, did not visit the dentist regularly, and struggled with poor mental health.

In a study involving 2,784 psychiatric patients and 31,084 people from the general population, along with 131 nurses, a dental hygienist educated these patients on the importance of oral hygiene. The dental hygienist provided a twenty-minute PowerPoint presentation to show proper cleaning methods. The psychiatric patients observed that their oral hygiene was lacking and after the presentation, their oral care increased drastically. It was reported by Shappell and her colleagues that individuals with psychiatric disorders stated that they do nothing for their oral health. She found that these individuals struggle with chronic oral pain and that is a stressor that decreases serotonin levels causing their mental health disorders to be a bigger challenge.