 | Feeling:
 | sad, helpless, down or blue, hopeless,
irritable, angry, agitated, anxious, or any combination of the
preceding |
|
| a loss of interest or pleasure in previously
enjoyed activities |
| a sense of worthlessness or guilt |
| accompanied by preoccupation over past minor
failings |
| complaints of bodily aches and pains without
a physiological basis |
| social withdrawal |
| increasing prevalence among the elderly, is the
most common emotional disorder in people older than 65 years |
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The lifetime risk of
developing MDD in the United States ranges from 10 to 25 percent for
women and 5 to 12 percent for men and those with a family history of the
disease.
Medications
It has been found that a combination
of medication and psychotherapy results in greatest improvement of
depressions. Antidepressant
medications are effective for approximately 75 percent of patients,
but they can take two to four weeks to work successfully. Because of the
high rate of relapse, continued use of the medication is recommended for
six months to one year beyond the initial recovery. Woman outnumber male
subjects report use of antidepressant medications 2.3 to 1.+
For a classification of commonly used
medications click here: Medications
for depression.
Medications
Adverse Oral Reactions
Here is a list of adverse oral reactions
that may occur due to medications:
|
Medical/Dental
history |
|
Obtain current medication regimen
including history of alcohol or other
substance abuse |
|
Dental education on preventive
dental education is paramount to receive instruction in proper
toothbrushing and flossing methods that maximize removal of dental
plaque |
|
Patient education on home hygiene
practices. |
|
Increased water intake. |
|
Regularly scheduled dental visits. |
|
Precautions related to low blood
pressure-hypotension
|
decreased length of dental visits. |
|
positioning somewhat upright in the
dental chair. |
|
blood pressure monitoring. |
|
using caution in prescribing
medications with additional orthostatic hypotension (low blood
pressure resulting from sudden position change) potential.** |
|
|
Use of saliva
substitutes |
|
Anticaries agents containing fluoride |
|
Dental treatments that may consist of
subgingival scaling, root
planing and curettage, caries control and restorative
treatment |
|
Special precautions when prescribing or
administering analgesics and local
analgesics |
|
Awareness of potential adverse
interactions of antidepressants with other medications |
|
Full range of
services that may enhance your self-esteem
and contribute to overall health care
management |
Depression
May Negatively Affect Periodontal Treatment
A study has found that patients diagnosed with some form of depression
are twice as likely to show poor outcome following periodontal
treatment over 1 year compared to patients without
depression. Those reporting symptoms of depression had
higher levels of attachment loss
and alveolar bone loss than those who did not show signs of depression.
The researchers gave 3 possible reasons
for this difference:
- Depressed patients may view a course of periodontal treatment as an
overwhelming ordeal and might be more likely to not comply fully with
treatment recommendations;
- Patients with depression are more likely to continue to smoke,
which has been linked with a poor response to periodontal therapy;
- Depression may impair the immune system, slowing down the body's
reaction to fight off infection.
This is the first report of clinical depression and poor periodontal
treatment outcome. As we are hearing a lot about the decrease of mental
health lately, this new information is important patients to consider
before periodontal treatment.
A July 1999 article in the Journal of
Periodontology reported that high levels of financial stress and poor
coping abilities increase twofold the likelihood of developing
periodontal (gum) disease.
April issue of the Journal of Periodontology ,
"Relationship of Clinical Depression to Periodontal Treatment
Outcome"
Journal of Evidence Based Dental Practice
Vol. 3, No.1 2003
Updates
Oral health problems associated with anxiety
disorders include canker sores, dry mouth, Lichen Planus (lacy white
lines, red areas or mouth ulcers, burning mouth syndrome, and
temporomandibular joint disorders,.
People with anxiety disorders may disregard their oral
health altogether and are at an increased risk for dental caries,
periodontal disease, and bruxism (grinding). Anxiety could be caused
by being anxious of a needle and complicate procedures.
Tell your dentist about your anxiety disorder and what
medications you are on.
Some medications decrease the mouth's ability to produce
saliva, which can increase the risk of developing tooth decay and
periodontal disease. Other medication side effects include dry mouth,
vomiting (which could cause tooth decay and erosion), anemia and bleeding
Academy of General Dentistry, Impact 9/04
Academy of General Dentistry, Impact 12/03
Schizophrenia & Dental Health
Bipolar
& Dental Health
Stress
& Your Teeth
Up
To Top
^Taking Antidepressants? Collaborative
Techniques pg 27, Summer 2003
Details Antidepressants' Impact on Dental
Health, pg 36 Dentistry Today April 2003
**Antidepressant
Medication May Have Adverse Effects on Dental Health, Journal
of the American D
