Special Needs Patients with Ptsd
Special Needs Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. PTSD is a serious condition that can develop when a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. Usually the body is able to recover to normal levels of hormones and chemicals the body releases due to the stress. But with a person with PTSD the body keeps releasing the stress hormones and chemicals. An example of PTSD could be a soldier whose been to war. For a person with PTSD, the anxiety and over whelming thoughts of the event can continue and even increase over time. There are three types of PTSD symptoms: Reliving the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity, Avoidance, and Hyper arousal. Treatment for PTSD involves talk therapy (counseling), medicines, or both. The feelings felt by PTSD patients become so strong that many aspects of the individual’s life can be affected. Performing a simple task, like brushing their teeth can become overwhelming (A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, 2013).
Research conducted by periodontists from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine shows that patients with long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), showed significant erosion of tooth surfaces. A group of 40 PTSD patients who had been diagnosed with 100 percent disability, were taken from the VA Medical Center and compared to a group of patients that did not have the disorder. The patients with PTSD had significantly more tooth plaque and gingivitis. Doctors suspect that this could be caused because of their illness, the patients are unable to carry out good oral hygiene compared to the non-PTSD patients. Also the PTSD patients were found to suffer from bruxism and clenching which can be related to extra daily stress they feel. Participants received an oral examination and evaluation of tooth wear. Results showed significantly increased wear of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. PTSD is a serious condition that can develop when a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. Usually the body is able to recover to normal levels of hormones and chemicals the body releases due to the stress. But with a person with PTSD the body keeps releasing the stress hormones and chemicals. An example of PTSD could be a soldier whose been to war. For a person with PTSD, the anxiety and over whelming thoughts of the event can continue and even increase over time. There are three types of PTSD symptoms: Reliving the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity, Avoidance, and Hyper arousal. Treatment for PTSD involves talk therapy (counseling), medicines, or both. The feelings felt by PTSD patients become so strong that many aspects of the individual’s life can be affected. Performing a simple task, like brushing their teeth can become overwhelming (A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, 2013).
Research conducted by periodontists from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine shows that patients with long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), showed significant erosion of tooth surfaces. A group of 40 PTSD patients who had been diagnosed with 100 percent disability, were taken from the VA Medical Center and compared to a group of patients that did not have the disorder. The patients with PTSD had significantly more tooth plaque and gingivitis. Doctors suspect that this could be caused because of their illness, the patients are unable to carry out good oral hygiene compared to the non-PTSD patients. Also the PTSD patients were found to suffer from bruxism and clenching which can be related to extra daily stress they feel. Participants received an oral examination and evaluation of tooth wear. Results showed significantly increased wear of
References: A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. (2013, March 08). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001923/ Baker, L. (2001, March 8). PTSD patient’s damage teeth through involuntary grinding, clenching, ub study finds. Retrieved from http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2001/03/5063.html Wright, E. (2004, March). Post-traumatic stress disorder: considerations for dentistry. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15119679