Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Oral Health
Course Number: 573
Course Contents
Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Periodontal Diseases and Tooth Loss
Many studies suggest that psychosocial stress and ineffective coping mechanisms can influence the onset and progression of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as periodontitis.4,5,43,53-61 The role of stress in some acute periodontal conditions, such as necrotizing periodontal diseases, is well-established through both temporal associations of disease onset and a stressor and biological measurements, e.g., urinary cortisol levels.62-64 High rate of progression (Grade C) periodontitis (formerly called “aggressive periodontitis”) and chronic periodontitis have both been associated with stress and depression.53-61,65,66 Increasing salivary cortisol levels have been linked to worsening periodontal disease parameters and tooth loss, adjusted for other behavioral and stress variables and increasing stress/distress and depression were linked to periodontal disease severity in a dose-dependent fashion.57 Increased coping mechanisms seemed to mitigate this interaction.4 The mechanisms of these interactions is less clear, but several hypostheses have been proposed.5 Chronic stress and depression reduce immune responsiveness, and this may result in more periopathogenic bacteria leading to increased periodontal tissue destruction.5 Psychosocial disorders, including anxiety disorders and depression, have also been associated with increased levels of systemic pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may potentiate the action of the initiating bacterial insult and worsen the host-mediated periodontal destruction.5 Finally, chronic stress and depression may result in alterations in health-related behaviors, including oral hygiene, smoking, and dietary intake.5 Individuals with high stress levels who did not brush their teeth during stressful periods were at increased risk of tooth loss when compared to individuals who maintained oral hygiene despite increasing stress and anxiety.57 This may indicate that a combination of factors stemming from underlying psychosocial disorders interact resulting in deterioration of systemic and, potentially, oral health as well (Figure 3).5 The interaction of psychosocial stress, anxiety, and depression on periodontal health may be related to an increase in pro-inflammatory markers and systemic diseases.
