Patients with mental disorders have considerable difficulty in access to dental care, including the refusal of oral health professionals to offer care to this clientele and the inadequate professional training of oral health professionals regarding this issue. The present study was carried out in therapeutic residences in order to assess the oral health conditions of the residents as well as their perceptions regarding the dental care they have received. Thirty-eight individuals participated in the study. Data were collected through clinical examinations and a semi-structured interview. Data analysis revealed a high number of caries and the need for dentures, with 42.5% of the individuals needing complete dentures and 30.3% needing partial dentures. Regarding periodontal conditions, 28.5% of the dental elements exhibited losses of over 4 mm of periodontal insertion. Data from the interviews were submitted to content analysis, which enabled the establishment of two categories: the association of pain with the presence of teeth and mutilating dental care. Oral health was associated to dental extraction, which was considered the only solution to oral health disturbances, indicating that, for this population, oral health signifies not having teeth.