Depression and periodontal health

Abstract

Depression is a psychiatric disorder in which negative affect, depressed mood, disturbed thoughts, and altered behaviors persist for a minimum of two weeks, and potentially for more protracted periods (APA 2004,Hasler.G 2010). Clinical observations and epidemiologic studies suggest that some negative life events and psychological factors may contribute to an increased susceptibility to oral disease and periodontal disease. The physiological effects of depression such as altered serotonin metabolism lead to a change in the dietary pattern and favoring the aciduric pathogens leading to an increase in dental caries and progressive demineralization eventually decay and periodontal disease progression.