Occupational stress and sleep as adjuvant factors in the development of parafunctional oral habits and decreased of oral health

Stress is an inherent biological response to various stressors, which, when experienced chronically, can lead to a disruption in the body's homeostasis, resulting in pathophysiological changes. This raises the question of to what extent the stressful environment experienced by military police officers in the state of Rio de Janeiro, combined with poor sleep quality, influences the development of parafunctional habits and impacts their oral health. Military male police officers (211); 37.8 ± 5.5 years old, 86.6 ± 12.1 kg, overweight (27.7 ± 3.5 kg/m²), 11.9 ± 5.6 years of experience; were divided into two groups and were submitted a sociodemographic questionnaire and evaluated for the presence of occupational stress, sleep quality (SQ), mandibular function (MFIQ) and oral health self-perception (OHIP-14). They were diagnosed with poor sleep quality (59.5%/p = .023) and symptoms of occupational stress (34.6%); while psychological discomfort (<i>p</i> = .005) and the act of chewing hard food are the items that cause the greatest negative impact on oral health (OHIP-14) and jaw function (MFIQ). Self-perception of oral health can be directly correlated with occupational stress (<i>p</i> < .05) and poorer sleepers had higher values of functional mandibular impairment (<i>p</i> = .022). Oral health and mandibular function did not negatively affect these soldiers, who were able to carry out their work and social activities normally.