Editorial

Correlation between Mental Health and Oral Health

Carolina dos Santos Santinoni*, Gabriel Leonardo Magrin, Ariadne Cristiane Cabral da Cruz, Marco Aurélio Bianchini, Gláucia Santos Zimmermann Cesar Augusto Magalhães Benfatti and Ricardo de Souza Magini

Professor at Dental School of Federal University of Santa Catarina, UFSC

Submission: April 13, 2024; Published: April 18, 2024

*Corresponding author: Carolina dos Santos Santinoni, Professor at Dental School of Federal University of Santa Catarina, UFSC

How to cite this article: Carolina dos Santos Santinoni*, Gabriel Leonardo Magrin, Ariadne Cristiane Cabral da Cruz, Marco Aurélio Bianchini, Gláucia Santos Zimmermann Cesar Augusto Magalhães Benfatti, et al. Correlation between Mental Health and Oral Health. Adv Dent & Oral Health. 2024; 17(3): 555965. DOI: 10.19080/ADOH.2024.17.555965

Editorial

Stress is defined as a state of mental or bodily tension resulting from a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources that he or she can mobilize. Therefore, it results from the individual’s interactions with the environment in which they live. There are numerous emotional and physical changes that are linked to stress, including depression, high blood pressure, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions, obesity, and immune system disorders. As expected, stress can also affect oral health, with a special relationship with the periodontium, with direct and indirect effects. Indirect effects are those mediated by lifestyle changes, which can exacerbate periodontal destruction, such as compromised oral hygiene, missed visits to the dentist for prevention/care, deterioration in metabolic control of diabetes, increased smoking and the inability to maintain healthy eating habits. Direct effects are mediated by alteration of the composition of the subgingival biofilm or by exaggeration of the host’s inflammatory response. Maintaining oral health is part of general health care [1].

It is also important to talk about the subject so that people who are going through difficult times and crises seek help and understand that life will always be the best choice. There are some signs that help us identify this behavior: 1 - thoughts brooded obsessively, without hope; 2 - extreme changes in mood; 3 - warnings such as “life is not worth it”, “I am so alone I want to die” or “you will miss me”. If the person feels like a burden, seek help; 4 - sudden improvement may be a sign that the person has already accepted the decision to end their own life. If you notice a sudden improvement, seek help immediately; 5 - detachment - donate your belongings and even visit several loved ones; 6 - irresponsible and dangerous behaviors, without measuring the consequences, such as excessive use of alcohol and drugs, reckless driving and unprotected sex; 7 - change in routine - If the person stops going to places they always liked to visit. Giving up activities that give you pleasure is a big warning sign. As health professionals, it is important to be aware of these signs during patient consultations, offer help and guide family members, if necessary. Dialogues save lives.

References

1. Lang PN, Lindhe Jan (2018) Textbook of Clinical Periodontics and Oral Implantology, 6^th GEN Group.