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Oral health and mental health

Guest Editors

Jieyi Chen, BDS, PhD, FICD, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, The University of Hong Kong, China
Ramon Targino Firmino, MSc, PhD, DDS, Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil
Morẹ́nikẹ́ Oluwátóyìn Foláyan, BChD, MBA, MEd, PhD, FWACS, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Tamanna Tiwari, BDS, MDS, MPH, University of Colorado, USA

BMC Oral Health has published our Oral health and mental health Collection, which showcases the latest innovations in the field. This Collection explores the intricate relationship between mental health and oral health. We invited submissions that investigate the psychological factors influencing oral health and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing the interconnected needs of patients. By advancing our understanding of this complex relationship, we aim to inform integrated healthcare strategies that promote oral health and well-being.

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Jieyi Chen, BDS, PhD, FICD, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, The University of Hong Kong, China

Dr Jieyi Chen was conferred a Doctor of Philosophy (Pediatric Dentistry) from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2019. She became a postdoctoral fellow and Clinical Practitioner at HKU after graduation. She joined Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Dentist in 2020, and was honored as a Fellow of the International College of Dentists in 2023. Dr Chen’s research interests are pediatric dentistry and community dentistry. As an active researcher, Dr Chen has published 33 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Chen is a reviewer in six international journals, an associate editor of BMC Oral Health, Frontier in Oral Health, Frontier in Medicine, and a guest editor of Healthcare.

Ramon Targino Firmino, MSc, PhD, DDS, Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil

Dr Ramon Firmino is a pediatric dentist with expertise in oral health epidemiology. He obtained his dentistry degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. His experience includes methodological planning and execution of research projects, primarily population-based oral health surveys in children and adolescents. Dr Firmino evaluates the prevalence of oral health issues, their impact on quality of life, and their association with socioeconomic, familial, and psychosocial factors. He has also led and collaborated on validation studies and coordinated systematic reviews of literature. Currently, Dr Firmino serves as an adjunct professor at the Academic Unit of Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Campina Grande in Brazil.

Morẹ́nikẹ́ Oluwátóyìn Foláyan, BChD, MBA, MEd, PhD, FWACS, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Dr Morẹ́nikẹ́ Oluwátóyìn Foláyan’s research has focused on the health and wellness of marginalized and vulnerable populations, including the ethical context of engagement in clinical studies during pandemics. She has worked in academia for over 25 years and has published more than 360 peer-reviewed articles. Dr Foláyan has a Google Scholar H-index of 55 and has been cited more than 26,000 times. She leads eight international research collaborations including an implementation research team on Oral, Mental, Sexual, and Reproductive Health Research, which seeks to explore models of integrated health care for adolescents. She is a Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Science.

Tamanna Tiwari, BDS, MDS, MPH, University of Colorado, USA

Dr Tamanna Tiwari is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Dentistry and Population Health and Associate Director of the Center for Oral Disease Prevention and Population Health Research at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Colorado. Dr Tiwari is funded by NIH-NIDCR, industry, foundation, and the State Health Department to research to reduce oral health inequities and promote medical-behavioral-dental integration. Her research delves into social determinants of health and behavioral health, how they impact communities' oral health, and how integration of care can improve patient outcomes.

About the Collection

BMC Oral Health has published this Collection, Oral health and mental health. Mental health and oral health are interconnected aspects of overall well-being, with growing recognition of the bidirectional relationship between the two. Psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and psychosocial conditions can significantly impact oral health, while oral health issues can also contribute to mental health challenges. Understanding the complex interplay between oral health and mental health is crucial for developing approaches to healthcare and improving patient outcomes.

Advancing our collective understanding in this area is essential for developing integrated healthcare strategies that address both mental health and oral health needs. Recent advances have highlighted the impact of psychological factors on oral health behaviors, such as dental anxiety influencing dental care utilization and stress contributing to conditions like bruxism and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Additionally, research has emphasized the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between mental health professionals and oral health practitioners to provide comprehensive care.

We invited submissions that explore various aspects, including but not limited to:

  • Dental anxiety 
  • Stress and its association with bruxism and temporomandibular disorders (TMD)
  • Psychosomatic oral disorders
  • Eating disorders and oral health implications
  • Depression and oral health
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy for dental phobia
  • Oral health-related quality of life
  • Self-esteem and oral health

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Image credit: © Chinnapong / stock.adobe.com 

  1. The microbiome, especially the gut microbiome, contributes to the regulation, etiology, and pathogenesis of sleep disorder. However, limited evidence regarding the oral microbiome’s role in sleep disorder. The...

    Authors: Guihua Hao, Yiwen Wu, Xiaoqiao Mo, Xiaomei Zhao, Lili Hou and Tian Xie
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:469
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Multiple studies have demonstrated the association between Quality of Life (QoL) and the prevalence of caries, periodontitis, and tooth loss. However, the role of the position and location of tooth loss in imp...

    Authors: Andrés Celis Sersen, Jorge Celis-Dooner, Juan Pablo Vargas Buratovic, Claudio Carrasco Mococain, Beatriz Mellado Torres, Francisco Moreno Ferrer, Elizabeth López Tagle and Duniel Ortuno Borroto
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:447
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. This study assessed the caries experience and gingival health of outpatients with mental disorders, comparing those with psychotic disorders to those with non-psychotic disorders at a specialist psychiatry cli...

    Authors: Emmanuella Ugochi Nwizu, Bimma Ngozi Nweze, Immaculata Ngozika Nwaoziri, Nneka Kate Onyejaka, Ezi Abigail Akaji and Nkolika Pamela Uguru
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:316
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Oral diseases are a major global health challenge, posing health and economic burdens that have profound impacts on the quality of life, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations such as tribal com...

    Authors: Margret Beaula Alocious Sukumar, Roshni Mary Peter and Alex Joseph
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:252
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Children born into prostitution often face significant barriers in accessing healthcare, including oral health services. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of female sex w...

    Authors: Afia Mahmuda Khan, Sumaiya Zabin Eusufzai, Taseef Hasan Farook, Mehnaj Sharmin, Sabrin Shohid, Lameea Shahed, Tabassum Zerin, Diptendu Kumar Chanda, Sheikh Jamal Hossain and Mohammad Delwer Hossain Hawlader
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:233
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Oral cancer, including malignancies of the lip, and oral cavity, is associated with significant psychological distress, increasing the risk of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA). Despite its seve...

    Authors: Ganesh Bushi, Mahalaqua Nazli Khatib, Mahendra Pratap Singh, Manisa Pattanayak, Teena Vishwakarma, Suhas Ballal, Pooja Bansal, Abhay M Gaidhane, Balvir S. Tomar, Ayash Ashraf, M Ravi Kumar, Ashish Singh Chauhan, Sanjit Sah, Edward Mawejje and Muhammed Shabil
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:140
    Content type: Systematic Review Published on:

  8. Lip behaviors can lead to maxillofacial developmental disorders such as anterior open bite, posterior crossbite, increased overjet, and a higher risk of developing a Class II malocclusion. However, lip-sucking...

    Authors: Yanfei Sun, Xiaofang Zhao, Mingchao Wang, Xiangkun Sun, Kunzhou Mei, Yameng Zhang, Yanwen Cui and Fang Yang
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2025 25:112
    Content type: Case Report Published on:

  10. With the rise in the older population, it has become important to understand the relationship between oral frailty and drug use to consider appropriate medical interventions and drug use for older persons.

    Authors: Ayako Maeda-Minami, Misuzu Takashima, Yukako Morisaki, Shunsuke Ehara, Seiichi Kato, Kazuhiro Saito, Tomokazu Tanaka, Yoshiaki Shikamura and Yasunari Mano
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2024 24:1514
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. This study investigates the dose-response relationship of acetylcholine (ACh) on healthy human gingival blood flow (GBF). Understanding this dose-response relationship contributes to studying vasodilatory mech...

    Authors: Tamás László Nagy, Barbara Mikecs, Zsolt M. Lohinai and János Vág
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2024 24:1398
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) is a term that encompasses conditions such as oral health status, living conditions, and function. OHQoL can change with the varying health conditions of the same i...

    Authors: Büşra Tosun and Nur Uysal
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2024 24:1353
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Schizophrenia is a chronic severe mental disorder characterized by impairment in cognition, emotion, perception, and other aspects of behavior. In light of the association of craniofacial dysmorphology with sc...

    Authors: Hakan Bahadir, Nihal Yetįmoğlu, Özlem Oflezer and Murat Erkiran
    Citation: BMC Oral Health 2024 24:1170
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select Oral health and mental health from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.