The Effect of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Experienced by Pregnant Women on Sleep Bruxism and Oral Health

The Effect of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Experienced by Pregnant Women on Sleep Bruxism and Oral Health: Cross-sectional Study

Background The oral health of pregnant women affects not only the systemic health of the mother but also the birth outcome of the fetus. Therefore, oral health management of pregnant women is important for both maternal and fetal health.

Objectives The study aimed to examine the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by pregnant women on sleep bruxism and oral health.

Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted between September and November 2023 on 321 pregnant women who volunteered to participate in the study by posting on social media forum pages via the web. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Oral Health Impact Scale (OHIP-14-TR). Descriptive statistical methods, the Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney-U test, and Spearman correlation test were used to analyze the data.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women over the age of 18 who were pregnant, diagnosed with sleep bruxism, and who could read and write were included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Women who refused to participate in the study, who could not be contacted, who had serious dental health problems in the last six months, who had dentures, who had serious stress disorder in the last six months, who filled out the data collection form incompletely, who had hearing-vision problems or intellectual disability, and who had diagnosed psychological illness were not included in this study.