Literature Collection

The global population aged 65 and older is expected to double from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion by 2050. Despite often being treated separately in clinical practice and policy, oral health and mental health are fundamentally interconnected in older adulthood, forming a bidirectional relationship that exacerbates disability, social inequity, and systemic healthcare challenges. This narrative review aims to summarize the two-way relationship between mental and oral health and emphasize their combined impact on systemic health, social engagement, and independence among ageing populations. The bidirectional relationship has profound clinical significance. Untreated oral diseases induce chronic pain and cause social embarrassment, aggravating pre-existing depression and anxiety. Periodontal disease can worsen systemic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia via a shared inflammatory pathway. Conversely, mental health issues-including depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and the use of psychotropic medications-reduce motivation for oral care, prompt dental neglect, and affect salivary function, deteriorating oral health. Despite clear connections, systemic gaps persist, including fragmented healthcare systems, financial barriers, stigma, lack of awareness, and caregiver burnout. To address these challenges, strategies such as developing integrated care models to unify dental and mental health services, reforming policies to prioritize oral and mental health parity, advocating anti-stigma campaigns to clear the misconceptions, and implementing community-based healthcare programmes to reach underserved older adults are essential. By recognizing oral health as a vital component of mental resilience, societies can transform ageing into an era of empowered well-being, where the mouth-mind connection promotes holistic health rather than functional decline.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to identify opportunities for earlier intervention of non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) among youth (aged 12-24) by characterizing the multidimensional social ecological needs of youth reporting NMPOU and their service utilization patterns in an expanding integrated youth services network. METHODS: The sample (n = 6181) included youth who accessed a novel integrated youth services (IYS) network in British Columbia, Canada, which delivers five core service streams for youth health and well-being through coordinated services. Analyses were conducted on routinely collected data drawn from youths' self-reported demographic and health measures and service provider-reported service utilization data. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with past 30-day NMPOU and multivariable Poisson regression was used to compare service utilization outcomes between youth with and without NMPOU. RESULTS: A total of 248 (4%) youth reported past 30-day NMPOU. Multidimensional factors independently associated with NMPOU included poor self-rated physical health compared to excellent/very good physical health (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.51, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) = 1.39, 4.56), high likelihood of externalizing mental health disorders compared to low likelihood (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.03, 2.86), past 30-day illicit polydrug use compared to none (aOR = 10.00, 95% CI = 5.89, 16.99), and past 3-month exposure to violence compared to none (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.62, 2.92). Rates of service utilization were similar between youth with and without NMPOU (adjusted relative rate = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.95, 1.32). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that youth with NMPOU present to IYS with several individual, interpersonal, and community-related social ecological needs. Integrated care models may be beneficial to address these multidimensional needs and reduce barriers to service utilization, thereby providing opportunity for earlier intervention of NMPOU among youth. Future research should examine the extent to which IYS reduce the incidence of NMPOU and improve opioid-related health and social outcomes among youth.

BACKGROUND: In 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched an initiative to expand patients' access to contingency management (CM) for the treatment of substance use disorders, particularly stimulant use disorder. This study evaluates the uptake and effectiveness of the VA initiative by presenting data on participation in coaching, fidelity to key components of the CM protocol, and clinical outcomes (CM attendance and substance use). METHODS: Fifty-five months after the first VA stations began offering CM to patients in June 2011, 94 stations had made CM available to 2060 patients. As those 94 VA stations began delivering CM to Veterans, their staff participated in coaching calls to maintain fidelity to CM procedures. As a part of the CM coaching process, those 94 implementation sites provided data describing the setting and structure of their CM programs as well as their fidelity practices. Additional data on patients' CM attendance and urine test results also were collected from the 94 implementation sites. RESULTS: The mean number of coaching calls the 94 programs participated in was 6.5. The majority of sites implemented CM according to recommended standard guidelines and reported high fidelity with most CM practices. On average, patients attended more than half their scheduled CM sessions, and the average percent of samples that tested negative for the target substance was 91.1%. CONCLUSION: The VA's CM implementation initiative has resulted in widespread uptake of CM and produced attendance and substance use outcomes comparable to those found in controlled clinical trials.

The majority of research and policy directives targeting opioid use and overdose prevention are based in larger urban settings and not easily adaptable to smaller Canadian settings (i.e., small- to mid-sized cities and rural areas). We identify a variety of research and policy gaps in smaller settings, including limited access to supervised consumption services, safer supply and novel opioid agonist therapy programs, as well as housing-based services and supports. Additionally, we identify the need for novel strategies to improve healthcare access and health outcomes in a more equitable way for people who use drugs, including virtual opioid agonist therapy clinics, episodic overdose prevention services, and housing-based harm reduction programs that are better suited for smaller settings. These programs should be coupled with rigorous evaluation, in order to understand the unique factors that shape overdose risk, opioid use, and service uptake in smaller Canadian settings.

OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to explore how integrated and transdiagnostic youth service models assess varied mental health needs and operationalize them to provide appropriate care. Furthermore, given the wide treatment gap for youths with severe needs, it highlights how models identify these youths and direct them to appropriate care. METHODS: This scoping review includes peer-reviewed and gray literature available in English. PsycInfo, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched for academic literature (January 2005-June 2023). Gray literature was acquired through outreach to service representatives. Eligible studies described an integrated and transdiagnostic youth mental health service model and included content related to the research objectives. RESULTS: This review included 121 pieces of literature describing 49 service models. Findings indicated substantial variability in the services provided and methods used to assess needs, as well as offerings and processes that were frequently insufficient for supporting youths with severe needs. Most models used two intake assessment tools, and approximately one-quarter had no service option for youths with severe needs. Multiple models did not explicitly describe how identified needs were operationalized into care decisions, with some incorporating exclusions for severe case presentations. CONCLUSIONS: Little evidence has been found for how integrated and transdiagnostic youth mental health service models should be operationalized, and their implementation varies considerably-potentially leaving young people without care or with needs that go unnoticed. Prioritizing research to enhance the operations of these initiatives is critical to ensure that they consistently meet the full breadth of needs experienced by youth populations.