Personality traits, oral health beliefs, and periodontal parameters in patients with periodontitis.

OBJECTIVES: Recognizing the construct of the Big Five personality factors with health beliefs could help in better evaluation of distinctive factors that may impact a patient's behavioral responses with reference to compliance to primary and secondary preventive measures in periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to explore association among the personality traits, oral health beliefs, and periodontal parameters in patients with periodontitis. METHOD AND MATERIALS: The present single-centered, cross-sectional study consisted of 118 systemically healthy participants with generalized periodontitis stage II and III with grade B. The neuroticism-extraversion-openness five-factor inventory 3 (NEO-FFI-3) instrument was applied to assess personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness). The oral health belief questionnaire was administered to determine five oral health beliefs, namely perceived seriousness (PS), benefit of preventative practices (BPP), benefit of plaque control (BPC), efficacy of clinicians (EC), and perceived importance (I). RESULTS: Spearman correlation analysis revealed that BPP and BPC were inversely correlated with neuroticism. Extraversion was positively correlated with the personality traits openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, whereas it was inversely correlated with neuroticism. Binomial logistic regression showed that the predictor "very low" and "low" levels of conscientiousness were positive and significant for clinical attachment loss ≥ 4.89 mm (b = 1.90 and 1.55; standard error = 0.70 and 0.72, P = .007 and .033), with odds ratios of 6.73 (95% CI 1.68 to 26.95) and 4.75 (95% CI 1.13 to 19.83). CONCLUSION: The intensity of an individual's perception of the benefits of clinicians achieving dental health is directly correlated with levels of conscientiousness. Trends of higher odds ratios for clinical attachment loss were observed with decreasing levels of conscientiousness. (Quintessence Int 2023;54:200-208; doi: 10.3290/j.qi.b3648947).

Effect of periodontitis on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: A non-randomized interventional study.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic periodontitis (CP) is associated with increased systemic inflammation and osteoporosis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, implicated in systemic bone loss, are also associated with periodontitis. The impact of control of systemic inflammation by scaling and root planing (SRP) on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal (PM) osteopenic women with CP was investigated in this study. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Sixty-eight PM osteopenic women with CP were included. The test group (n = 34) received SRP along with calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (250 IU) supplementation twice a day for 6 months, while the control group (n = 34) received calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (250 IU) supplementation twice a day for 6 months. BMD, serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and periodontal parameters were recorded at baseline and 6 months. RESULTS: Improvement in BMD and serum hsCRP showed a statistically significant difference between groups at 6 months (P < .001). Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that the test group was 4.82 (ORadjusted = 4.82; 95% CI = 1.17-19.71; P = .029) times more likely to exhibit normal BMD at 6 months. The results suggest there is an association of control of systemic inflammation by SRP with improved BMD in PM osteopenic women with generalized severe CP.