抄録
The reactions of a schizophrenic patient group (average 44.7 years old) toward damage to maxillary anterior teeth were compared with those of three other groups: the healthy (57.4 years old), patients with physical complaints (59.4 years old) and those with other mental disorders (44.7 years old). The purpose was to investigate the views of schizophrenic patients on what constitutes healthy teeth.
For all subjects, the chief complaints related to damage to maxillary anterior teeth concerned esthetic or masticatory disturbance. Significant differences were observed concerning the details of the chief complaint among the four groups. The most notable difference was observed between the healthy (64 %) and schizophrenic (only 15 %) groups with respect to the number reporting esthetic disturbance of the total 129 subjects, 81 % desired dental treatment for maxillary anterior teeth. Significant differences were noted between the four groups concerning their attitude toward treatment, especially between the schizophrenic (62 %) and healthy (100 %) groups. Ninety-two patients underwent treatment. Except for only, two cases in the other mental disorder group, nearly all (ninety patients, 98 %) reported improvement after treatment. The majority referred to esthetic and masticatory improvement. The largest difference was found in the numbers of those referring to esthetic improvement in the schizophrenic (only 19 %) and healthy (84 %) groups. The rates of those reporting improved masticatory function ware 52 % in the schizophrenic and 8 % in the healthy groups.
The results of this study suggest that many patients in the schizophrenic group had less interest in their own teeth and damage to them, and also in the esthetic aspects of maxillary anterior teeth, than members of the healthy group. They appear to have a different mental image of what constitutes health in anterior teeth. It was also found that 68 % of the schizophrenic group did undergo dental treatment of the anterior teeth and all showed a positive reaction to the results. The author considers that such dental treatment for schizophrenic patient is worth while and meaningful.
