Stressful events in a patient's life -- such as serious illness or a death in the family -- may play a key role in explaining amalgam-related complaints, according to a study by researchers from Umeå University, University of Tromsö, and Stockholm University (Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, August 23, 2010).
The researchers selected participants from a longitudinal population-based study. They performed one-to-one matching of 337 participants with amalgam-related complaints to 337 participants without such complaints. For 81 of the participants with amalgam-related complaints and their matched controls, data were also available approximately five years before the onset of complaints, making longitudinal analysis possible.
All participants completed questionnaires assessing the occurrence of 55 life events. The results showed that many participants with amalgam-related complaints experienced negative life events prior to and at the onset of amalgam-related complaints. They also reported more unexpected and uncontrollable events that were difficult to adjust to in comparison with controls.
Somatic illness or surgical operation was the most common life event, the researchers noted. Death of a close family member and a major change in financial situation were also commonly reported.
"The role of stressful life events in the onset of self-reported amalgam-related complaints is unclear," the researchers noted. "This study indicates that adverse negative life events could play a vital role in understanding and explaining amalgam-related complaints."
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