Mental Health in a Dental Practice Setting

Nearly one in five U.S. adults has struggled with mental illness in the last year and yet over half of those individuals did not receive treatment during that time – necessitating improved screening and referral networks for mental health. Given that people may see their dentists more often than their primary care physician, and that changes in mental health can occur rapidly and dramatically, equipping dentists to screen for mental health issues is necessary and urgent. A national dental practice-based research network Quick Poll conducted in 2018 found that nearly 93% of dentists understand that dental and mental health are related. Increased experience with mental health education among dentists is associated with increased likelihood of discussing mental health concerns with patients and referring them to mental health treatment when appropriate and that integration of screening and referral procedures will increase the accuracy and likelihood of such discussions and referrals. By screening more adults for mental health issues and building connections to mental health resources in their area, dentists contribute meaningfully to the overall well-being of their patients and increase access to mental health care in their communities.

Participants will learn:

• Identify and understand the patient that may present in office with mental illness and its effects on oral health.
• Assess current knowledge of dental team with regards to mental health including dental/medical intake forms, oral manifestations, and potential crisis situations.
• Identify potential implementation barriers and facilitators for integrating mental health screening and referral to treatment procedures into network dental practices.
• Develop mental health screening and referral to treatment procedures into practice workflows.
• Evaluate the feasibility of integrating mental health screening and referral to treatment procedures into the dental health workflow.
• Recognize importance of interprofessional collaboration and possible applications in dental school curriculums.