Mental Health and Periodontitis in Probable Bruxers

Association Between Mental Health Status and Periodontitis Among Probable Bruxers

The goal of this observational study is to learn how mental health affects periodontal health in people having teeth grinding (bruxism).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does poor mental health increase the risk of periodontitis in people with teeth grinding? Does stress link teeth grinding and periodontitis?

Participants are people who likely have teeth grinding(bruxism) and periodontitis

Participants will:

Answer questions about their mental health, including stress Get a periodontal health status check

Teeth grinding(Bruxism) can occur due to stress, smoking, alcohol use, and bite problems. Stress may affect muscle activity and lead to teeth grinding. It can also weaken the body's defense and lead to poor oral care. This may worsen periodontal health.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Periodontal Disease

Detailed Description

Stress is related to emotional and physiological reactions when there is a lifetime event conflict that exceeds the individual's ability to deal effectively with the situation.

Psychological stress is generally recognized as a potential cofactor in the pathogenesis of infectious disease. It can trigger immune responses that favor the occurrence or exacerbation of changes in the oral cavity, such as periodontitis. It can directly impair the periodontal status through various biological mechanisms: variation in the gingival fluid, production of interleukin IL1, IL-6, reduction of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and phagocytosis, and decreased lymphocyte production and antibody production, as well as through changes in behavior related to health, such as oral hygiene, smoking habit and diet.

Stress evokes emotional and physiologic reactions and is an important modifiable risk factor for both mental and physical illnesses.

Periodontitis is characterized by progressive destruction of the tooth-supporting apparatus causing loss of support which manifests through clinical attachment loss (CAL), radiographically assessed alveolar bone loss, presence of periodontal pocket and gingival bleeding.

Based on the ecologic plaque hypothesis, periodontal diseases result from environmental changes to the oral habitat. Marsh considers that the selection of ''pathogenic'' bacteria is directly coupled to changes in the environment.

A sound understanding of the psychosocial pathways of the behaviors strongly linked to periodontal diseases, and how psychological factors affect the response of the periodontal tissues to pathogens, is essential for diagnosis and improving interventions.

One of the stress manifestations is bruxism, or gnashing and grinding of the teeth. Theories about the origin of bruxism have hypothesized different types of factors: peripheral, connected to teeth occlusion interferences, central, connected to neurotransmission from brain to chewing muscles and psychosocial, associated to stress.

"Although extensive research has investigated the associations between stress and bruxism, as well as stress and periodontitis, there remains a notable gap in the literature examining the combined relationship among stress, bruxism, and periodontitis."

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 110

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Varsha kapoor, BDS; Phone Number: +91 99991802339; Email: varsha.kapoor045@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Dr. Rajinder kumar Sharma, MDS; Phone Number: 9416358222; Email: rksharmamds@yahoo.in

Study Locations

• India
  • Haryana
    • Rohtak, Haryana, India, 124001
      • PGIDS, Rohtak

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will be drawn from patients reporting to the outpatient clinic of department of Periodontics at PGIDS, Rohtak on the basis of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adult periodontitis patients with age group 30-50 years diagnosed with probable bruxism.
2. Presence of minimum 20 teeth excluding third molars.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of systemic disease such as diabetes or autoimmune disease
• History of drugs having the potential impact on periodontal status like phenytoin, cyclosporin, calcium-channel blockers or antidepressant drugs.
• Pregnant or lactating females.
• Post-menopausal women.
• Patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders- pain and tenderness in the masticatory muscles

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
single group(probable bruxers); This study will be evaluating the association between mental health status and periodontitis in individuals with probable bruxism.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
mental health status	Assessment of mental health status in each participant using mental health questionnaire (MHI-38). Score range from 38 to 226, with higher score indicating better mental health	baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
pocket probing depth	Pocket probing depth will be measured in millimeters from gingival margin to base of pocket at 6 sites per tooth using UNC-15 probe	baseline
Clinical Attachment Level	Clinical attachment level will be measured in millimeters from cemento-enamel junction to base of periodontal pocket at 6 sites per tooth using UNC-15 probe.	Baseline
Bleeding on probing	Bleeding on probing will be scored as 0=no bleeding and 1= bleeding at six sites per tooth after gentle probing with UNC-15 probe	baseline
Gingival Index	Gingival Index will be assessed using the Loe and Silness criteria. Each site will be scored from 0 to 3, where 0= normal gingiva, 1= mild inflammation with slight color change and edema but no bleeding on probing, 2= moderate inflammation with redness, edema, and bleeding on probing, and 3= severe inflammation with marked redness, edema, ulceration and a tendency for spontaneous bleeding. The scores are averaged to obtain the gingival index for an individual tooth or entire dentition.	Baseline
Plaque Index	The Silness and Loe plaque index (PI) is a clinical index used to assess the thickness of dental plaque at the gingival area of teeth. scored from 0 to 3: 0 = no plaque, 1 = a thin film of plaque adhering to the free gingival margin and adjacent tooth surface, detectable only by probing or disclosing agent, 2 = moderate accumulation of plaque visible to the naked eye within the gingival pocket or on the tooth and gingival margin, and 3 = abundant soft deposits covering the tooth surface and gingival margin. The scores are averaged to obtain the plaque index for an individual tooth or the entire mouth, providing a measure of oral hygiene	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences Rohtak
• Investigators: Study Director: Dr. Rajinder Kumar Sharma, MDS, PGIDS, Rohtak

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 22, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 3, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: mental health status; probable bruxism
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mouth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases; Periodontal Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: VARSHA PERIO

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No