Background: Mental health disorders pose a significant public health challenge in the USA. Early detection through screening can improve quality of life by facilitating timely access to mental health resources. Dental practices, which often have continuity of care with their patients and routinely conduct medical screenings, represent an underutilized setting for mental health screening.
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of mental health screening and follow-up procedures within dental practice workflows by assessing patient experiences and perceptions using the RE-AIM and Implementation Outcomes Framework (IOF) approaches.
Methods: The study included five private dental practices from the South Central region of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Dental office personnel were trained to administer mental health screenings to eligible adult patients during routine visits. Participants completed validated screening instruments for depression (PHQ-2), anxiety (GAD-2), substance use (CAGE-AID), and suicide risk (C-SSRS). Dental Personnel adhered to the screening and follow-up procedures. Positive screenings prompted a follow-up conversation and an information sheet that included local mental health resources. We calculated the RE-AIM components of Reach and Adoption and evaluated the IOF components of patient acceptability and appropriateness using postvisit survey items and open-ended questions.
Results: The study achieved a 75% reach rate, with 36 of 48 approached subjects participating. There was also a high adoption rate, with all 5 dental practices and 94% of dental office personnel participating in the intervention. Overall, participants generally found the zacceptable and appropriate. Participants who screened positive reported slightly lower comfort and appropriateness levels.
Conclusions: Patients consider implementing mental health screening and follow-up in dental practices appropriate and acceptable. Dental practice settings offer a promising venue for early detection of mental health concerns, potentially enhancing access to care and improving overall health outcomes.
Keywords: anxiety; depression; mental health; screenings.
Plain language summary
Mental health challenges affect a significant portion of the population, with many individuals not receiving the care they need. To address this gap, a study explored whether dental practices—a common point of contact for many adults—could serve as a venue for mental health screenings. This research involved five dental offices in the South-Central USA, where patients were screened for conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide risk using brief questionnaires. If patients screened positive, they were provided with local mental health resources for follow-up. The study found that most patients and dental staff were willing to participate in the screenings. Over three-quarters of eligible patients agreed to be screened, and nearly all dental office staff supported the process. Patients found the screenings easy and appreciated the holistic approach to healthcare, which linked mental and oral health. Those who screened positive reported slightly lower comfort levels during follow-up discussions, highlighting the need for sensitive handling of such conversations. The research demonstrated that mental health screening in dental settings is both acceptable and beneficial. It could improve access to care by identifying mental health concerns early in a familiar and trusted healthcare setting. These findings suggest that integrating mental health screening into dental practices may help bridge the gap in mental health care access, although further research is needed to refine the process and ensure it is sustainable across various settings.
© Society of Behavioral Medicine 2025. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
Keywords：patient perceptions; mental health screening
背景：
精神健康障碍在美国构成了一项重大的公共卫生挑战。通过筛查进行早期检测可以改善生活质量，促进及时获得心理健康资源。牙科诊所通常与患者保持长期关系，并且常规开展医学筛查，这代表了一个被低估的精神健康筛查场所。
目的：
本研究旨在评估精神健康筛查和后续程序在牙科实践中实施的效果，通过使用RE-AIM和实施成果框架（IOF）方法来评价患者的体验和感知。
方法：
这项研究包括来自国家牙科实践基础研究网络南中部地区的五家私人牙科诊所。牙科工作人员接受培训，在常规就诊时对符合条件的成年患者进行精神健康筛查。参与者完成了用于评估抑郁（PHQ-2）、焦虑（GAD-2）、物质使用（CAGE-AID）和自杀风险（C-SSRS）的有效筛选工具。牙科人员遵循了筛查和后续程序的规定。对于阳性筛查结果，工作人员会与患者进行跟进对话，并提供包含当地心理健康资源信息的资料。我们根据RE-AIM框架计算了Reach和Adoption部分，并使用随访调查项目和开放式问题评估了IOF框架中的患者接受性和适宜性。
结果：
研究达到了75%的覆盖范围，48名接触对象中有36人参与。此外，还具有很高的采纳率，五家牙科诊所和94%的牙科工作人员都参加了该干预措施。总体而言，参与者普遍认为这是可接受且适当的。筛查呈阳性的参与者报告稍低一些的舒适度和适宜性水平。
结论：
患者认为在牙科实践中实施精神健康筛查和后续程序是适当和可接受的。牙科实践场所为早期发现心理健康问题提供了一个有前景的机会，这可能会增强获取护理的渠道并改善整体健康结果。
关键词：
焦虑；抑郁；心理健康；筛查。
非专业语言总结
精神健康挑战影响了相当一部分人口，并且许多人都没有获得所需的照顾。为了应对这一差距，一项研究探索了牙科诊所——许多成年人常见的接触点——是否可以作为进行精神健康筛查的场所。这项研究涉及美国南中部地区的五家牙科诊所以及使用简短问卷对患者进行抑郁、焦虑、物质使用和自杀风险等条件的筛查。如果患者的筛查结果为阳性，他们将获得当地的精神健康资源以跟进。研究表明，大多数患者和牙科工作人员愿意参与这些筛查活动。超过四分之三符合条件的患者同意接受筛查，并且几乎所有牙科工作人员都支持这个过程。患者认为这些筛查容易进行并赞赏这种全面的医疗保健方法，它将精神健康与口腔健康联系起来。那些筛查结果为阳性的患者在后续讨论中报告了稍低一些的舒适度水平，这突显了在处理这类对话时需要敏感性处理的需求。研究表明，在牙科环境中开展心理健康筛查既可接受又有益。这种方法可以通过识别常见的医疗保健场所中的精神健康问题来改善获取护理的机会。这些发现表明，将心理健康筛查纳入牙科实践可能有助于弥合心理健康照护访问的差距，尽管还需要进一步的研究以完善该过程并确保其在各种环境下的可持续性。
© Society of Behavioral Medicine 2025. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
关键词：患者感知; 心理健康筛查; 牙科实践基础研究网络
