4 Topic Commentaries

Identifying Key Research Priorities for Oral Health in Individuals with Severe Mental Health Conditions

• 

  Rena N. D’Souza, DDS, PhD

  Director

  •

  National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health

  This is an in-depth review of the scientific knowledge surrounding oral health that has accumulated over the last two decades. It provides an important window into how many societal factors intersect to create advantages and disadvantages with respect to oral health, and, critically, overall health.

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• 

  Carrigan Parish, DMD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences

  •

  Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

  Interdisciplinary research will help us to understand the bidirectional relationship between mental and oral health, and the overall impact on women living with HIV.

  [Source]
• 

  Renee Y. Hsia, MD, MSc

  Professor of Emergency Medicine and Health Policy

  •

  University of California, San Francisco

  We found that many of the common conditions of avoidable visits are mental and dental health-related, which emergency departments are generally ill-equipped to treat, suggesting a lack of access to health care rather than intentional inappropriate use.

  [Source]
• 

  Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, DDS, PhD

  Deputy Director

  •

  National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health

  Both dentists and physicians can benefit from being more familiar with the oral manifestations of systemic disease, allowing for earlier diagnoses and improved management of diseases to better help patients. Increased collaboration through continuing education and intentional communication between medical and dental providers can improve patient outcomes and maximize the public health benefit.

  [Source]