About this Research Topic
A growing body of evidence has linked poor oral health along with depression to several chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In pregnant women, poor oral health with high depression level has also been associated with premature births and low birth weight. Studies suggest that patients with depression are more likely to use more tobacco products that directly affects the oral cavity. Recently, it has been recognized that oral infection, especially periodontitis, along with depression may affect the course and pathogenesis of a number of systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight. There have been three proposed mechanisms or pathways linking oral infections to secondary systemic effects: (i) metastatic spread of infection from the oral cavity as a result of transient bacteremia, (ii) metastatic injury from the effects of circulating oral microbial toxins, and (iii) metastatic inflammation caused by immunological injury induced by oral microorganisms. Periodontitis, a major oral infection, may affect the host's susceptibility to systemic disease in three ways: by shared risk factors; subgingival biofilms acting as reservoirs of gram-negative bacteria; and the periodontium acting as a reservoir of inflammatory mediators.
The basic goal of the Research Topic will be to collect high standard submissions in connection with the association between mental health and oral health problems (preventative care, access to dental care, and oral condition in relation to quality of life) controlling for sociodemographic, chronic disease indicators (CDI) and cancer. Contemporary studies demonstrate a relationship between mental health and oral disease. However, vital oral health problems like dental prevention, dental access, and oral and dental health-related quality of life, have not been investigated by most of these studies. Preventative dental care and dental care access are critical to promoting oral health. Dental care, regular cleaning and checkups have been shown to prevent dental caries and periodontal disease and improve oral health . Therefore, understanding the contribution of depression to other critical oral health outcomes can inform the field about the factors that may impede proper oral health.
Keywords: oral health, mental health, stress, anxiety, chronic diseases, cancer
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.