title: Work stress and oral health-related quality of life among Indian information technology workers: an exploratory study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationships among work stress, oral health and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in information technology (IT) professionals in south India.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 134 IT industry workers in four mid-size IT companies in south India. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of the eight-item Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) scale and a 25-item modified version of the original 167-item Work Stress Questionnaire was given, following which an oral examination was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean ± standard deviation scores on the Work Stress Questionnaire, the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index and the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) for the sample population were 53.82 ± 15.07, 4.23 ± 3.47 and 1.81 ± 0.58, respectively. A comparison of clinical oral health status data against respondents' work stress and OIDP scores showed that mean DMFT and CPITN scores were significantly greater among those who reported oral impact on their daily performance. However, although participants who reported oral problems had consistently higher work stress scores, the differences were statistically significant only for gingival bleeding and sensitive teeth. Multivariate analysis after controlling for age and sex showed that higher levels of work stress and periodontal disease were significant predictors for poor OHRQoL in the sample population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Work stress may be an important predictor for poor OHRQoL and hence requires to be studied in greater detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal, India. shashishar_acharya@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Shashidhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: Kalyana C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Pentapati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004245:DMF Index; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007256:Information Systems; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D009909:Oral Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires