Stress is the feeling that is created when individuals react to certain events. It is the way bodies rise to a challenge and prepare to meet a situation that is tough with concentration, strength, stamina and heightened alertness. On the other hand, periodontitis is a set of inflammatory diseases that affect the periondontium. That is, the tissues that surrounds and gives support to the teeth. It involves progressive loss of alveolar born around the teeth, if left untreated, can result to the loosening and subsequent loss of teeth. This essay critically looks at the connection between stress and periodontal disease.
Toll order on the teeth can be taken by stress, resulting to periodontal disease as found by scientific review. In most cases, stress leads to the periodontal disease. This is because stress leads to the adrenaline, increases the heart beat rate, and leads to high respiration and other signals of psychology. This is so especially when one undergoes stressful moments for a longer period of time, as periodontal disease infects well under the psychological conditions hence the role played by stress in periodontal sickness has been confirmed, (Daiane et al, 2008).
The biochemical alterations that an individual experiences when under stress, affects the salivary glands, leading to the influence of the response to oral bacteria. Periodontal disease is caused by periopathogenic microorganisms and their products of metabolic which leads to inflammatory reactions of the gingival. In other terms, people having high stresses have their bad habits increased which can prove to be harmful to the health of periodontal. As for instance, they become less attentive to their oral hygiene and may end up increasing their nicotine and alcohol use as the way of releasing stress, (Daiane, 2007).
Daiane( 2007) and Boyapati &Wang, (2000) explains that recent research has shown that the biochemical changes that occur in the body when under stress, has the immediate effects on the immune system, which further affects the dealing with the oral bacteria. Whether the correlations are as a result of behavioral factors that are in association with these psychological disorders or the disorders themselves, are casual factors that were not elucidated. Much of the research concentrating on the effects of stress on oral health, have been performed only on the laboratory animals. (Boyapati &Wang, 2000).
On top of stress causing individuals to engage in habits that favors the disease like smoking and forgetting to clean their teeth, the researchers have also speculated that cortisol; which is a hormone produced by stress, may play a major role in the possible linkage of stress and periodontal disease. It has been found out that increased levels of cortisol may result to increased destruction of the gums and jaw born due to the fact that periodontal disease has invented. It is a fact that is well known that, if left untreated, periodontal diseases can ultimately lead to borne loss of bone or tooth loss. Furthermore, stress can result to high levels of glucocorticoid secretion that also depresses the immune functioning, increased resistance on insulin and potentially higher risks of periodontal, (Amy et al, 2009).
In the determination of association between social support, anger expression as a component of stress and periodontitis in 42,523 male, the literature search was carried out by the use of Medline and Cochrane oral Health Group specialist trials register. These having at least a close friend have 30% lower risk of periodontitis. Men participating in religious meetings had 27% lower risk of developing periodontitis. These that reportedly fell angry every day had a 43% higher risk of developing periodontitis compared with these being angry seldom, (Daiane et al, 2008).
In conclusion, there has been a positive relationship between periodontal disease and psychological factors like stress in the previous researches. But more and more research should be conducted to determine definitive relation between stress and periodontal disease.
