Affiliation

• ¹Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
• ²Department of Biomedical Science, Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, NJ USA

Corresponding Author

Anthony Tobia, MD, Assistant Professor & Director, Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 671 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA, Tel: 732-235-4403; E-mail: tobiaat@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Citation

Tobia, A., et al. A Dental Crown for Patients with Schizophrenia. (2016) J Dent & Oral Care 2(2): 1-5.

Copy rights

© 2016 Tobia, A. This is an Open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Abstract

  Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous group of disorders with variable presentation in thought disturbances and bizarre behaviors (15). Psychological and behavioral hindrances in these patients affect concentration, perception, and ideation to the extent that social and occupational functioning is impaired (30). Symptoms range from hallucinations, disorganized thinking, distorted perception of reality, severe anxiety, difficulty performing work, and many others. This complex mental health disorder afflicts 1.1% (2.4 million) of U.S. population, which constitutes approximately 10% of the disabled (24, 28). Although schizophrenia affects men and women equally, the age of onset is typically between 18 to 24 in males and 24 to 34 in females (28, 30). Patients are usually treated with first- or second-generation antipsychotic medications (24). Long-term use of these medications is often required, in addition to continuous support of the caregivers and/or family members as about half of all people with schizophrenia have significant impairments in self-care skills.