Perceptions of the oral health of their patients reported by Brazilian medical residents in psychiatry

Abstract

Persons with severe mental disorders have higher chances of presenting oral health problems than persons in the general population. Mental disorders are considered public-health problems worldwide. Interpreting statements on oral health made by medical students receiving instruction in psychiatry is essential to provide elements for reflection on their difficulties, barriers or limited knowledge in managing their patients’ oral health. Based on the presupposition that doctors provide their patients with no instruction or support concerning oral complaints, because these do not symbolize the same challenges as those emerging from severe mental disorders. The aim of this study was to interpret symbolic meanings of statements expressed by medical residents in psychiatry at a specialized university outpatient clinic, about their patients’ oral health. Qualitative research using the Qualitative-Clinical method was conducted, adopting the theoretical reference of medical psychology. Data were analyzed by the Clinical-Qualitative Content method and the Seven-Step technique. Based on 06 interviews analyzed, the following categories emerged: “What do I do? Psychiatrists’ dilemmas about not understanding their role in patients’ oral health; and “Dentists do not participate in Balint’ so-called “collusion in anonymity”. It was concluded that among others, the paradigm consisted of a sociological composition, therefore it was stronger than personal decisions that might eventually oppose the barriers to interdisciplinary work posed by the institutional model, which were intertwined with paradigmatic barriers. Thus, specialist training should include a dental perspective, so that oral examinations would always be included in the physical examinations, from an interdisciplinary perspective of the integrity of health-care.