There are many forces in your life that determine how likely you are to suffer tooth decay or gum disease. Some of the better understood ones are your oral hygiene habits and your genetics. However, it would appear that even something like the quality of your family life can play a significant role in your oral health. Domestic violence, including both verbal and physical, encourages bad oral hygiene.
This is according to a study conducted by a team at New York University, who found that people with a lot of familial conflict are more likely to develop cavities or lose teeth. For every above-average statistical increase in a married person’s aggression toward his or her partner, researchers observed a large increase in occurrence of cavities. Abused women would have an average of 3.5 more cavities, while men exhibited an average of 5.3 more. Children of fighting couples, meanwhile, had an average of 1.9 more cavities for every above-average increase of emotional aggression exhibited by their mothers towards the other parent.
The problem is that a noxious household environment is not conducive of organized routines, including brushing and flossing. Additionally, people in such environments are prone to eating sugary foods as a stress response.
