Building capacity to promote oral health in an Australian community mental health setting

Abstract

Half of all Australians will experience a common mental illness during their lifetime. There is strong evidence that people living with mental illness, particularly those living with severe mental illness, experience poor oral health outcomes and face significant challenges in accessing oral health care. Indeed, Australia’s National Oral Health Plan identifies people living with mental illness as a Priority Population with additional and/or specialised oral health needs. Despite this recognition, there is a distinct lack of oral health promotion programs targeting people living with mental illness. The utilisation of non-dental professionals (e.g. aged care professionals, midwives, pharmac..