Relationships of personality traits and stress to gingival status or soft-tissue oral pathology: an exploratory study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of personality traits and stress with gingival inflammation and with soft-tissue oral pathology.


METHODS
Personality traits of psychoticism (P), extroversion and introversion (E), and neuroticism (N) were measured with Eysenck's personality questionnaire (EPQ). Stress was measured with a modified organizational and individual assessment survey (OIAS) developed by Hendrix. Military recruits from Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, were examined for soft-tissue oral pathology and gingival status at weeks one (n = 241) and six (n = 61) of basic combat training (BCT). The EPQ and OIAS were administered to 217 recruits during week six of BCT. A discriminant analysis was used to determine correlations among study variables.


RESULTS
Significant correlations (P < .05) were found between personality traits and various measures of tolerance of stress. Little variance was found between groups originally presenting with or without disease. Only physical stress (P < .005) was shown to affect soft-tissue pathology, while gingival inflammation correlated significantly to E scores (P < .02), tolerance to change (P < .02), and anxiety (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Data support a possible relationship among certain personality traits, stress variables, and gingival inflammation or soft-tissue pathology in recruits with extreme personality characteristics or perception of high physical stress levels in basic combat training.
Minneman
M A
MA
College of Health Professions, Wichita State University, KS 67260-0144, USA.
Cobb
C
C
Soriano
F
F
Burns
S
S
Schuchman
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005892:Gingivitis, Necrotizing Ulcerative / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications; D013281:Stomatitis, Aphthous / Q000209:etiology; D013283:Stomatitis, Herpetic / Q000209:etiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications*