Meldrum Rebecca, Ho Hillary, Satur Julie
Neami National, 4-8 Water Road, Preston, Vic. 3072, Australia.
University of Melbourne, Melbourne Dental School, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton, Vic. 3121, Australia.
Aust J Prim Health. 2018 Jul;24(3):216-220. doi: 10.1071/PY17132.
People with a lived experience of mental illness are at a higher risk for developing oral diseases and having poorer oral health than the broader population. This paper explores the role of Australian community mental health services in supporting the prevention and management of poor oral health among people living with mental illness. Through focus groups and semi-structured interviews, participants identified the value of receiving oral health support within a community mental health setting, in particular the delivery of basic education, preventive strategies, assistance with making or attending appointments and obtaining priority access to oral health services. Engagement with Community Health Services and referrals generated through the priority access system were identified as key enablers to addressing oral health issues. This study provides new insight into the importance of undertaking an integrated approach to reducing the oral health disparities experienced by those living with mental illness.
与普通人群相比，有精神疾病生活经历的人患口腔疾病的风险更高，口腔健康状况也更差。本文探讨了澳大利亚社区心理健康服务在支持精神疾病患者预防和管理口腔健康不佳方面的作用。通过焦点小组和半结构化访谈，参与者确定了在社区心理健康环境中接受口腔健康支持的价值，特别是提供基础教育、预防策略、协助预约或就诊以及获得口腔健康服务的优先途径。与社区卫生服务机构的合作以及通过优先途径系统进行的转诊被确定为解决口腔健康问题的关键推动因素。这项研究为采取综合方法减少精神疾病患者所经历的口腔健康差距的重要性提供了新的见解。
