2016 Volume 37 Issue 2 Pages 169-173
As there are more than one million patients with depression in Japan, major depressive disorder has become a relatively common mental illness. Symptoms of depression, including loss of energy and interest in activities, frequently result in poor oral hygiene in patients with this disorder. Therefore, it is crucial for dental professionals to have some knowledge of the illness to provide appropriate dental treatment to patients with depression.
Here, we present the case of a patient with major depressive disorder who was provided long-term oral health guidance by a dental hygienist, which consequently improved the patient’s oral hygiene despite frequent depressive moods.
The patient was a 56-year-old woman. She underwent pulpectomy of the maxillary left lateral incisor at a dental clinic. One week later, she experienced sharp pain in the maxillary palatal gingiva and the tongue. The pain persisted, and she was referred to our hospital.
During the initial medical examination, she was very agitated and anxious；she also showed symptoms of depression, including decreased appetite, weight loss, and loss of energy. We immediately referred her to a psychiatrist, and she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
In order to address her primary complaint of severe pain, dental treatment was administered by a dentist, and she was given instructions regarding maintenance of oral hygiene by a dental hygienist at our hospital. The dental hygienist also provided her with dietary advice to promote the secretion of saliva to counteract dry mouth, a side effect of the medication prescribed by the psychiatrist. The long-term oral health guidance provided by the dental hygienist was equally important to the dental treatment in relieving the symptoms of this patient with major depressive disorder. In spite of her frequent depressive moods, the instruction provided by the hygienist enabled her to maintain satisfactory intraoral health.
