Academic Stress and Tooth Decay

Exams can be stressful, and stress can affect students in many different ways. Something that we rarely think about is the impact that the stress of studying might have on the student’s teeth and oral health.

Some students find that they fall into poor eating habits, grazing on sugary foods and soft drinks rather than eating regular, well-balanced meals. Others will study to the point of exhaustion, so that the task of brushing before falling asleep becomes too difficult. Both of these behaviours have the potential to cause dental diseases, especially if the habits persist throughout one or more school years or semesters.

A study of 73 students showed that students under stress had higher levels of tooth decay than those with low stress levels, with women and younger students more prone to developing caries than their male or older counterparts.

Read more about it in this BDHF article: http://www.dentalhealth.org/news/details/700