Does Being Poor Or Stressed Cause Cavities?

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Dental News: Cavities
The November issue of the Journal of Social Science and Medicine just published in a groundbreaking study that showed that there are psychological and/or social factors associated with poverty that seem to increase the risk of tooth decay in small children.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (Canada) who did the study tracked 132 kindergarten children for two years and found that almost half of the children had tooth decay. The study authors hypothesized that this increased rate of tooth decay was the result of stress levels accelerated the process that creates a cavity in a tooth.

Children with the most cavities had high levels of decay-causing bacteria in their mouths. They also had high levels of cortisol in their saliva. Cortisol is released in response to stress. It aids in the body's digesting of sugars.

The researchers also examined any baby teeth that were normally lost during the study. Children with more cortisol in their saliva had baby teeth with thinner, softer enamel which is your mouth's first-line defense against cavities.

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