Stressful Life Events, Dental Visits, and Toothache: JAGES 2019 Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This is the first population-based study to separately examine whether preventive and treatment dental visits modify the association between stressful life events and toothache. Psychological stress may alter health-seeking behaviors and pain perception, potentially leading to symptom-driven rather than preventive dental visits. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained and analyzed from the 2019 wave of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), including 19,314 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older. Poisson regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between stressful life events, dental visit history, and self-reported toothache. Results: Higher stressful life events were associated with greater toothache prevalence (PR = 1.189; 95% CI: 1.117–1.264). Preventive dental visits within the past six months were linked to the lowest risk, whereas recent treatment visits were associated with higher risk. Conclusion: Promoting regular preventive dental visits, particularly among individuals under high stress, may help reduce the likelihood of experiencing toothache among older adults.