CONSULATE
Can parent stress level lead to tooth decay in their kids?
Scientists from The Ohio State University has examined the stress levels of parents whose young children either had no cavities or so many cavities that the children had receive anesthesia before undergoing dental treatment.
The team also looked at the parents’ education levels and income, and noted if they were single parents. Finally, they measured the parents’ stress levels again after the children had received dental treatment. As they expected, they found that low income, having little education, and being a single parent led to increases in parental stress. They also discovered that the more stressed parents are, the more likely their children were to have decay. Last, they found that apparently having one’s child’s dental decay treated actually could decrease the stress of being a parent.