Level of work stress and factors associated with bruxism inthe military crew of the PeruvianAir Force

Abstract

Background: Military life leads to a great personal sacrifice and labor in the aircrew because they are constantly subjected to innumerable activities which have a great work pressure; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the level of work stress associated with bruxism in the aircrew of the Peruvian Air Force. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 204 crew members of the Peruvian Air Force from the Air Group were surveyed, and the stomatological clinical inspection was carried out. Each crew member was evaluated using the validated International Labor Organization- World Health Organization (ILO-WHO) Work Stress Scale, and clinical records were used to diagnose bruxismusing the Smith and Knight wear index. Results: Itwas foundthat 93.7%(n=191) of the crewmembersweremen and 6.3%(n=13)were women; and the percentage of intermediate-level stress was found to be high in the grade of non-commissioned officers,whereas inthe officer grade, the level of stresswaslow.Therewas also a statistically significant association between the variables military grade, sex, and age group. The sub-officers presented a higher percentage in the category "with bruxism",while in the rank of officers the category of "non-bruxism" was the most prevalent. Conclusions: This study showed a statistically significant association between the variable bruxism and the level of work stress between the military aviators of the Peruvian Air Force (p<0.001).