Negative Impacts of Psychiatric Medications on Oral Health: A Literature Review

Evidence reveals that people with mental illnesses have a greater risk of experiencing oral diseases such as dry mouth and dental caries and have greater oral treatment needs. This is related to multifactorial causes such as factors related to the condition itself, symptoms, side effects of polypharmacy, and a lack of accessibility to dental services. This article aims to provide a summary of the reported prevalence of the most common mental illnesses in Saudi Arabia (SA), such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorders, and dementia. The article further aims to review the negative impacts of anti psychotic medications on oral health and the role of dentists toward people with mental illnesses. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched using the following keywords: special care dentistry, schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar disorder, and dementia. The main inclusion criteria were any studies describing "dental management of patients with mental illnesses" and "dental management of patients treated with anti-psychotic medications." Thematic analysis was used to summarize the findings of the included studies into main headings. Forty-eight articles/studies discussed dentistry, people with mental illnesses, and/or the negative impacts of psychotic medication on oral health. All studies were published between 1991 and 2021. In SA, the number of people with mental illnesses is increasing. Therefore, it is crucial for the dental team to understand the negative impacts of anti-psychotic medications on oral health, such as dry mouth and the increased risk of dental caries. This necessitates the need for regular dental visits and patient education on how they can mitigate the side effects of anti-psychotic medications on oral and general health.