Mishu, M.P. orcid.org/0000-0002-6545-9117, Aggarwal, V. orcid.org/0000-0003-0838-9682, Shiers, D. et al. (10 more authors) (2024) Developing a Consensus Statement to Target Oral Health Inequalities in People With Severe Mental Illness. Health Expectations, 27 (4). e14163. ISSN 1369-6513
Abstract
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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | consensus statement, mental illness, oral health |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Dentistry (Leeds) > Oral Surgery (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Not Known |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Aug 2024 09:34 |
Last Modified: | 06 Aug 2024 09:34 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/hex.14163 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215751 |