Stress

stressed woman with her hand on her forheadCHICAGO July 19, 1999 A study released in the July 1999 issue of the Journal of Periodontology has found that increased levels of stress influence the development of periodontal disease. Of those studied, individuals who reported high levels of financial stress and poor coping strategies had significantly higher stages of bone loss in the mouth, an early indicator of periodontal disease.

Still, it was concluded that those who deal with daily financial stress in a problem-focused manner, compared to those without significant money problems, have no more risk of developing periodontal disease.

The study was conducted over 1,400 subjects within the range of 25-74 years of age and was among the first to test the correlation between periodontal disease and stress.

Psychological tests were conducted to specify and define the causes of stress in the subjects’ day to day encounters. Subjects answered nine questions. Continual research in this field is required in order to further develop a theory on the importance of controlling stress on the development of periodontal disease.