No abstract

The results of this pilot study confirm internal consistency and stability of the Serbian preliminary version of the GOHAI questionnaire and the causal relation between the quality of life and the characteristics of oral health of the patients with dentures. Accordingly, instrument verification is recommended.

Study results showed that children with epilepsy and their parents had worse habits, attitudes and behavior towards oral health than healthy controls and their parents. This difference can be explained primarily by worse parental estimation of oral health and behavior towards oral health in comparison to parents of healthy controls.

Results imply that psychiatric patients are more frequently involved with oral lesions than healthy persons. It is necessary to organize specific preventive and educational oral health programmes with these patients, as well as with doctors who treat the basic illness.

Mental disorders are an important problem in every national health care service. The importance of psychotic disorders is not only their frequency but also their long-term character, recurrence, association with other diseases, costs and consequences for the family and society. Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorders and depression) and their treatment may result in serious oral diseases. These disorders and medications used to treat them may lead to a series of oral complications and side effects, predominantly high prevalence of carious and extracted teeth, periodontal disease, inadequate oral hygiene, xerostomia, burning mouth syndrome, bad breath and gustatory sense dysfunction. Psychotic disorders affect oral and dental health in two ways. Behavioural changes affect the oral hygiene maintenance and lead to bad habits and attitudes towards oral health. Antipsychotic therapy has adverse effects on oral health. Literature data suggest that oral health in patients with psychotic disorders is poor and highlight the need to develop specific preventive programmes, which would be aimed at improving behaviour of this population at risk in the oral health care system