Posttraumatic stress disorder: psychopathology, medical management, and dental implications.

Abstract

PTSD is a chronic mental illness that may arise after an individual experiences or witnesses a life-threatening event. Symptoms consist of persistent reexperiencing of the event, avoidance of reminders of the event, a numbing of positive emotions, and social withdrawal. A depressed mood and excessive use of alcohol and tobacco may accompany the disorder. PTSD afflicts approximately 5% of men and 11% of women. Dental disease may be extensive because of neglect of oral hygiene compounded by cigarette smoking. Dental treatment includes preventive education, oral cancer screening, and prescribing saliva substitutes or stimulants and anticaries agents to combat medication-induced xerostomia. Precautions must be taken when prescribing or administering certain analgesics, antibiotics, or sedative agents that may adversely interact with the psychiatric medications or when performing surgery because of the long-term effects of alcohol abuse.

• Authors: Arthur H Friedlander, Ida K Friedlander, Stephen R Marder
• Journal: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod) Vol. 97 Issue 1 Pg. 5-11 (Jan 2004) ISSN: 1079-2104 [Print] United States
• PMID: 14716250 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Topics

• Alcohol Drinking (physiopathology)
• Depression (physiopathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Smoking (physiopathology)
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic (drug therapy, physiopathology, psychology)
• Tooth Diseases (etiology, prevention & control)