The State of Periodontal Tissues in Military Personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Depending on the Psycho-Emotional State

Abstract

The aim of the study: To assess the periodontal tissue condition of military personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine based on their psycho-emotional state. Materials and methods. A periodontal examination was conducted on 142 male military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were undergoing rehabilitation or were on rotation, in order to achieve the stated goal. The age range of the subjects was 27 to 60 years, and their period of stay in the combat zone ranged from 3 months to 2 years. The patients underwent clinical and dental examination according to a standardized scheme, which included taking anamnesis and analyzing patients' complaints. The periodontal tissue condition was assessed using Danilevsky's M.F. (1994) classification, with additions by Mashchenko I.S. (2002). To identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we administered the PSL-5 questionnaire developed by the National Centre for PTSD. We also determined the presence and degree of psychoemotional stress in the study group using the methodology of Holmes T.H. and Rahe R.H. (1967). The level of reactive and personal anxiety was measured using the Spielberger-Hanin method, specifically the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) from 1970. Results. The study found that the presence of PTSD in military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine intensifies periodontal tissue diseases. This is shown by an increase in advanced forms of generalized periodontitis (19.74±4.50 % of patients with PTSD vs. 5.00±4.87 % of patients without PTSD, p<0.01) and a minimal frequency of detection of inflammatory diseases of periodontal tissues (p<0.05). The study examined the correlation between periodontal tissue diseases and stress resistance and reactive anxiety levels in military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The results showed that patients with a very high and high degree of stress resistance and a low level of reactive anxiety (I, II groups) exhibited a greater degree of resistance to stress. No changes were made to the original text as it already adheres to the desired characteristics. Inflammatory diseases were found to be more prevalent in the structure of periodontal diseases. Meanwhile, dystrophic-inflammatory lesions of periodontal tissues were more common in individuals with threshold resistance to stress and moderate reactive anxiety (III group) and those with low resistance to stress and high levels of reactive anxiety (IV group). Conclusions. The study found a close relationship between the psychoemotional disorders of the subjects and the condition of their periodontal tissues. This relationship is likely one of the leading factors that determine the intensity and severity of inflammatory and dystrophic-inflammatory diseases of periodontal tissues in this cohort of patients.