Psychiatric morbidity among dental patients attending a tertiary hospital in Lagos

Abstract

Objective: It has been noted that oral health conditions have significant relationships with mental illnesses. In Nigeria, a large number of individuals with psychological morbidity also visit dental health practitioners regularly and few psychopathological studies have been carried out to determine the prevalence of psychopathology in dental patients in Lagos. The aim of this study was to determine the general psychological wellbeing, symptoms of anxiety and depression among patients who were attending the dental clinic for restorative and oral surgery in Lagos.

Method: One hundred and three consecutive dental patients who were attending the dental clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos were recruited for this study. Patients were administered with the 12th version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Result: One hundred and three patients (50 males and 53 females) aged 20-61 years (mean age 38.3+ 10.7 years) participated in the study. The reasons for attending the dental clinic ranged from unbearable pain 81(78.6%), filling of teeth 9(8.7%), extraction 6(5.8%), check-up 4(3.9%) and fixing of braces 3(3.0%). Subjects who scored more than 3 in the GHQ were 17.5 %. On the HADS scale, 28.2 % had a high score in anxiety while 14.6 % scored high in depression.

Conclusion: This study shows that a high percentage of dental patients also suffer from psychopathology especially anxiety and depression. These findings have been observed to constitute complex psycho-social problems with far reaching social and medical consequences among dental patients. The acquisition of psychotherapeutic tools by dental surgeons for assessing and managing dental patients with psychopathology will enhance the quality of practice and service delivery of dental surgeons.