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Introduction: Oral diseases are more prevalent in people with severe mental illness (SMI) compared to those without mental illnees. A greater focus on oral health is needed to reverse unacceptable but often neglected oral health inequality in people with SMI. This provided the impetus for developing 'The Right to Smile' consensus statement. We aimed to develop and disseminate a consensus statement to address oral health inequality, highlighting the main areas for concern and recommending an evidence‐based 5‐year action plan to improve oral health in people with SMI. Methods: The Right to Smile consensus statement was developed by experts from several professional disciplines and practice settings (mental, dental and public health) and people with lived experience, including carers. Stakeholders participated in a series of online workshops to develop a rights‐based consensus statement. Subsequent dissemination activities were conducted to maximise its reach and impact. Results: The consensus statement was developed to focus on how oral health inequalities could be addressed through a set of 5‐year improvement targets for practice, policy and training. The consensus was reached on three 5‐year action plans: 'Any assessment of physical health in people experiencing SMI must include consideration of oral health', 'Access to dental services for people with SMI needs to improve' and 'The importance of oral health for people experiencing SMI should be recognised in healthcare training, systems, and structures'. Conclusion: This consensus statement urges researchers, services and policymakers to embrace a 5‐year action plan to improve oral health for people with SMI. Patient or Public Contribution: The team included people with lived experience of SMI, their carers/family members and mental and dental health service providers. They were involved in every stage of developing the consensus statement, from conception to development and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore whether: (i) people with severe mental illness (SMI) experience worse oral health than the general population, and (ii) the risk factors for poor oral health in people with SMI. Methods: Cross-sectional data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2016), including on self-rated oral health, oral pain, tooth loss, periodontitis stage, and number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth. Candidate risk factors for poor oral health included demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, physical health comorbidities, and dental hygiene behaviours. Ordinal logistic regression and zero-inflated negative binomial models were used to explore predictors of oral health outcomes. Results: There were 53,348 cases included in the analysis, including 718 people with SMI. In the fully adjusted model, people with SMI were more likely to suffer from tooth loss (OR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.34–1.92). In people with SMI, risk factors identified for poor oral health outcomes were older age, white ethnicity, lower income, smoking history, and diabetes. Engaging in physical activity and daily use of dental floss were associated with better oral health outcomes. Conclusions: People with SMI experience higher rates of tooth loss than the general population, and certain subgroups are particularly at risk. Performing regular physical exercise and flossing may lower the risk of poor oral health, while smoking and diabetes may increase the risk. These findings suggest opportunities for targeted prevention and early intervention strategies to mitigate adverse oral health outcomes in people with SMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To test the hypotheses that: (1) Prevalence of periodontal disease would be higher in people with a history of psychosis when compared to the general population and (2) Demographic, life‐style related factors and co‐morbid medical conditions would predict periodontal disease in people experiencing psychosis. Methods: The authors performed cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data from the UK Biobank study (2007–2010), identifying cases with psychosis using clinical diagnosis, antipsychotic medication, and self‐report. Demographic (age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status), lifestyle‐related(BMI, blood pressure, smoking and alcohol intake, physical activity) and physical co‐morbidities (cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, inflammatory disease and metabolic conditions) were included as potential risk factors for periodontal disease among people with a history of psychosis using logistic regression analyses. The analysis sample included 502,505 participants. Results: Risk of periodontal disease was higher in people with psychosis, regardless of how cases were identified. Patients with a clinical diagnosis had the highest proportion of periodontal disease compared to the general population (21.3% vs. 14.8%, prevalence ratio 1.40, 95% CI: 1.26–1.56). Older and female cases were more likely to experience periodontal disease. Lifestyle factors (smoking) and comorbidities (cardiovascular, cancer or respiratory disease) were associated with periodontal disease among people with a history of psychosis. Conclusions: The findings suggest that periodontal disease is more common in people with a history of psychosis, compared to the general population. Prevention and early diagnosis of periodontal disease should be a priority for oral health promotion programmes, which should also address modifiable risk factors like smoking which also contribute to co‐morbid systemic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]