Dental health and mental health: six clinical facts

These monthly blog posts by the Public Mental Health Implementation Centre (PMHIC), 'Perspectives on public mental health', aim to highlight the voices of practitioners, patients, carers, and public health experts.

Welcome to this month’s blog marking the World Oral Health Day 2026, in which our guest author, Dr Ava Carter (Dental Surgeon and Medical Doctor with specialty in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry) and the PMHIC team highlight the key facts around oral health and mental health, which affect patients and people living with mental health conditions.

1. People living with mental health conditions often face a far higher burden of oral disease, due to shared social and biological factors, medication, and lack of interventions.

2. Higher rates of dental hospitalisation are reported by people living with a diagnosis of severe mental illness.

3. Studies show that when mental health teams work with dentists, 80% of patients feel less anxious to attend dental appointments.

4. To make visiting the dentist easier for neurodivergent patients, who may have sensory and other issues, there needs to be neurodivergent-friendly approaches, support and understanding.

5. Visiting a dentist regularly to get teeth cleaned over 5 years helps protect the brain. It has also shown to lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

6. Studies show that when mental health teams work with dentists, 80% of patients feel less anxious to attend dental appointments.

A downloadable resource in PDF version is also available: Dental health and mental health: Six clinical facts

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to our Expert by Experience, Abiola Johnson, for her valuable contribution to the blog content, and to Helen Greenwood, NCCMH Research and Design Officer, for her excellent graphic design work.

References

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2. Chaturvedi J, Sabbah W, Gallagher JE, Turner J, Curl C, Stewart R. Hospital admissions for dental disorders in patients with severe mental illness in Southeast London: A register-based cohort study. European Journal of Oral Sciences. 2021;129(1):e12752.
3. Newton T, Gallagher J, Wong F. The care and cure of dental phobia: The use of cognitive behavioural therapy to complement conscious sedation. Faculty Dental Journal. 2017;8:160–63.
4. Murphy, J., Andrews, F. & Morgan, M. Embracing neurodiversity-informed dentistry. Part four: Reducing inequalities through neuro-inclusive communication. British Dental Journal Team.
5. 2023;10:18–25.
6. Chen C-K, Huang J-Y, Wu Y-T, Chang Y-C. Dental scaling decreases the risk of Parkinson’s disease: A nationwide population-based nested case-control study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2018;15:1587.
7. He IL, Liu P, Wong MCM, Chu CH, Lo ECM. Effectiveness of psychological intervention in improving adolescents’ oral health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Dentistry. 2024;150:105365.