Relationship between stress associated with academic activities and volatile sulfur compounds production: involvement of beta-defensin

Abstract

Halitosis is the emanation of malodours from the oral cavity and can have major detrimental social implications for the sufferer and significant impact on normal social interactions. In most cases, their origin is related to the action of Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria in the oral cavity, which degrade sulfur-containing amino acids, producing volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). However, many patients complain about bad breath and do not show obvious clinical cause. So, emotional changes, such as stress and anxiety, have been related to its production, although there are few studies about this relationship. It is known that stress decreases immunity through the suppression of cellular and humoral responses, responsible for the defense mechanisms of the body. Moreover, beta-defensins, peptides that have antimicrobial and immunoregulatory activity, have great importance in health and diseases related to the oral cavity. Thus, our aim is to investigate the relationship between emotional changes, associated with academic activities, expression of beta-defensin 2 in oral cavity and volatile sulfur compounds production.