Psychosocial stress, lifestyle and periodontal health.
OBJECTIVE
The hypothesis that psychosocial stress and lifestyle are related to periodontal status was tested.


METHODS
The study was performed in 1997-98 in 10 areas in Lithuania (response rate 53%). Information comprised recordings of oral hygiene, calculated levels of remaining periodontal support and information about psychosocial and lifestyle factors. A hypothetical structure was tested in 2 age and gender subgroups by means of a structural equation model both for an overall fit and for the fit of individual parameters within the model.


RESULTS
The hypothesised structure presented high confirmatory fit index values (CFI) in all subgroup models, i.e., CFI >0.94. However the probability value of 0.01 found in the older males model presented an unlikely event. When individual parameters within the models were tested, different misspecifications were found. Therefore the hypothesised structure needed to be revised and tested repeatedly. All revised models presented high CFI and probability values (p>0.35). The testing of individual parameters did not reveal any significantly misspecified parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
The path between lifestyle and levels of remaining periodontal support was empirically supported in the present study. Although the pathway between psychosocial stress and remaining periodontal support was not empirically supported, there is reason to believe that such link is likely.
Aleksejuniené
Jolanta
J
Institute of Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway. jolanta@odont.uio.no
Holst
Dorthe
D
Eriksen
Harald M
HM
Gjermo
Per
P
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015588:Observer Variation; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D011336:Probability; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D012944:Social Support; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000473:pathology