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Psychosocial Antecedents and Consequences of Periodontal Disease: A New Agenda 1
Author(s) -
Karuza Jurgis,
Miller William A.,
Thines Terrence,
Cantos Albert
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
gerodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1741-2358
pISSN - 0734-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-2358.1988.tb00315.x
Subject(s) - generalizability theory , psychosocial , medicine , disease , periodontal disease , periodontitis , etiology , gerontology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , dentistry , developmental psychology , pathology , psychology
Although it is generally recognized that the antecedents of periodontal disease are multiple, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of psychosocial variables. The present paper argues that psychological variables can help identify additional risk factors for periodontal disease, define the generalizability of periodontal research across different elderly adult sub‐populations, and serve as adjunct clinical markers. Changes in psychological well being offer additional measures of the impact of the disease, and suggest criteria for the evaluation of treatment impact. Consideration of environmental antecedents of periodontitis points to the importance of pathological rather than developmental dynamics in the etiology of the disease. Recommendations are made for an interdisciplinary, but carefully balanced approsch, to the study of periodontal diseases in older adults.