Bridging psychiatry and dentistry: new perspectives on mental health and oral health

A Trauma-Informed Continuum of Dental Care. This is the second of our sessions on the importance oral healthcare in people with severe mental illness with a focus on trauma informed care.

Aim: To raise awareness of the importance of oral healthcare, and the burden of dental care aversion, among people with a history of psychological trauma.

Emerging research explores links between psychological trauma and difficulties accessing and tolerating dental care due to dental phobias and symbolic re-traumatization in the dental setting. Trauma responses can include strong physiological and emotional reactions (such as nausea, panic, or disgust) which poses challenges to dental teams with minimal training in and understanding of trauma. By the same token, mental health service providers have minimal training in and understanding of oral healthcare, rarely prioritizing this vital service in their referrals and recommendations.

This campfire session will consist of a conversation between Dr. Aggarwal, a dentist, and Dr. Lapidos, a psychologist. They will each share experiences providing healthcare to patients with significant needs related to trauma and dental care, and the challenges of whole-person care within siloed systems in the UK and US.

Initiatives promoting collaboration between dental and mental health professionals to reduce health inequalities will be highlighted, including the “Right to Smile Consensus Statement” (Aggarwal), which proposes five-year targets to improve oral health outcomes in people with serious mental illness, and the “Oral Health Recovery Initiative” (Lapidos), a collaborative workgroup that is training mental health professionals and their patients to recognize and prioritize oral health needs.