Healthy Smiles: Promoting Good Oral Health for Youth With Serious Mental Illness.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are disproportionally affected by oral diseases, contributing to already poor physical health outcomes. Young adults are particularly vulnerable, with high psychological distress and greater health service engagement barriers. Early adulthood is a key opportunity to change the trajectory of poor oral health among youth with SMI (YSMI) by supporting oral hygiene self-care routines and timely access to oral healthcare.

Objective

To explore factors that promote or inhibit Healthy Smiles: engagement in oral healthcare among Australian YSMI.

Methods

Exploratory interviews and a focus group were conducted. Purposeful sampling recruited 11 YSMI, a carer, peer support workers (n = 2) and oral and mental health practitio

SUBMITTER: Robertson CV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12423358 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature