Manifestation of stress and anxiety in the stomatognathic system of undergraduate dentistry students

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between psychoemotional state and signs of oral cavity occlusal and nonocclusal parafunctions, together with masseter muscle tone, in undergraduate dentistry students. METHODS: The study population comprised first and fifth grade dentistry students who were investigated using psychological and health questionnaires, and stomatological examination with electromyography of the masseter muscles. Differences in variables between first and fifth grade students were analysed using Student’s t-test or χ(2)-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyse associations between variables. RESULTS: A total of 113 students (52 first-grade, mean age 20 years; and 61 fifth-grade, mean age 23.6 years) were included. Older age was associated with lower level of perceived stress and anxiety. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was observed between level of perceived stress and anxiety and tone of both masseter muscles. CONCLUSIONS: Increased psychoemotional burden and increased rates of experienced anxiety were associated with growth of masseter muscle tone in this study population.