Cartoonized brain wearing a graduation cap and holding a book

Resources to Learn More

American Dental Hygienists’ Association

American Dental Association

Anxiety & Depression Association of America

Journal Articles

  • Geraets AFJ and Heinz A (2022) The association between adolescent mental health and oral health behavior: The Luxembourg Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study. Front. Dent. Med 3:979192. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fdmed.2022.979192
  • Heaton LJ, Santoro M, Tiwari T, Preston R, Schroeder K, Randall CL, et al. Mental Health, Socioeconomic Position, and Oral Health: A Path Analysis. Prev Chronic Dis 2024;21:240097. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.240097
  • Patil, S., & Mehdi, S. S. (2025). The Gut-Brain Axis and Mental Health: How Diet Shapes Our Cognitive and Emotional Well-Being. Cureus, 17(7), e88420. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.88420 

The Resources used to create Mind & Mouth Matters

  1. CDC. (2025, June 10). Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. Children’s Mental Health. https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html
  2. Geraets, A. F. J., & Heinz, A. (2022). The association between adolescent mental health and oral health behavior: The Luxembourg Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study. Frontiers in Dental Medicine, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdmed.2022.979192
  3. Heaton, L. J., Santoro, M., Tiwari, T., Preston, R., Schroeder, K., Randall, C. L., Sonnek, A., & Tranby, E. P. (2024). Mental Health, Socioeconomic Position, and Oral Health: A Path Analysis. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, 240097. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.240097
  4. Iannucci, J. M., & Howerton, L. J. (2022). Dental radiography: Principles and techniques (Sixth edition). Elsevier.
  5. Mental health of adolescents. (n.d.). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
  6. PA Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics – Eating for Your Mental Health. (2022, November 27). https://www.eatrightpa.org/blog/2021/01/13/eating-for-your-mental-health/
  7. Patil, S., & Mehdi, S. S. (2025). The Gut-Brain Axis and Mental Health: How Diet Shapes Our Cognitive and Emotional Well-Being. Cureus, 17(7), e88420. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.88420
  8. Teen Mental Health Facts and Statistics 2024. (2024, May 8). Compass Health Center. https://compasshealthcenter.net/blog/teen-mental-health-statistics/
  9. The food-mood connection. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2025, from https://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk/articles/the-food-mood-connection
  10. You are what you eat: Diet may affect your mood and brain function | UCLA Health. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2025, from https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/you-are-what-you-eat-diet-may-affect-your-mood-and-brain

All images used in Mind & Mouth Matters, unless otherwise stated, are believed to be in the public domain due to their date of creation, no known information about the creator of the work, and no known published works containing use of the image within a time period that would allow for claiming of copyright ownership of the works according to established copyright laws.

If you have more information about material on our websites or are able to provide specific, additional information about the copyright status of a particular image in Mind & Mouth Matters, or if you are the copyright holder and believe our website has not properly attributed your work or have used it without permission, please contact Patrick Cutter at pcutter@umaryland.edu with your contact information and link to and information about the relevant content.

More About the Creators

Mind & Mouth Matters was created by a group of Dental Hygiene students at the Community College of Baltimore County. Read more about each of the creators, why they chose to become dental hygienists, and what they hope this project accomplishes.

Lesly Cardona

I chose this career because I truly enjoy helping others feel confident, heard, and cared for, not just about their smiles but their overall well-being. I helped create the Mind & Mouth Matters website to share education, support, and awareness about how mental health and oral health are deeply connected.

Nina Tucai

I have always been interested in oral health (teeth in particular) but having struggled with my mental health for most of my teen and adult life, I know firsthand how easily something like oral hygiene can fall by the wayside, even if (in my case) it’s one of my top passions. I hope Mind & Mouth Matters can be the resource for others that I could have used during my personal struggles.

Katherine Dean

I started my career in education, but realized I wanted to help people in a more hands-on way, which led me to pursue dental hygiene. Helping create Mind and Mouth Matters allows me to connect with the community by sharing simple, real-life tips for caring for both mental and oral health. My goal is to help you build healthy habits that support your confidence and well-being inside and out!

Aadel Freeman

I wanted to pursue dental hygiene because I care about helping people improve their oral and overall health. Oral health affects both confidence and mental well-being. Mind and Mouth Matters supports my community by sharing tools and advice for mental health. I am driven to build a career focused on making a positive difference through care and empathy.

Mind and Mouth Matters has been developed as part of a Maryland Coalition for Allied Dental Education (MCADE) student engagement project by dental hygiene students from the Community College of Baltimore County.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is always available.

Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

hours

Tuesday - Friday: 10am to 4pm

Address

31 S. Greene St. Baltimore, MD 21201

Phone

410-706-0600

The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry is an auxiliary enterprise of the University of Maryland, School of Dentistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

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