Working-age patients with medically unexplained oral symptoms who receive public assistance in Japan.

ABSTRACT: Medically unexplained oral symptoms (MUOS) are frequently associated with psychosocial factors. Although most affected individuals can maintain their usual daily activities, a small subset experience pronounced socioeconomic hardship, and the prevalence and characteristics remain unclear in working-age Japanese public assistance recipients. This retrospective chart review examined 3685 first-visit patients at a tertiary psychosomatic dentistry clinic between April 2016 and March 2023. Of these, 98 (2.7%) received public assistance, and 55 (1.5% of the total sample) were aged 18-64 years. Demographic, clinical, and social determinants of health-including psychiatric diagnoses, living arrangement, and employment status-were analyzed. Results showed that 90.9% of the 55 participants had curre

SUBMITTER: Suga T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12318022 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature