Instability of self-esteem and affective lability as determinants of self-reported oral health status and oral health-related behaviors

The aim of the study was to examine the impact of the instability of self-esteem and affective lability on students' self-rated oral health and oral health-related behaviors. The present study sample consisted of 178 first year medical students. A questionnaire was used to collect information about socio-demographic factors, behavioral factors, self-reported oral health status, the instability of self-esteem, and affective lability. Significant differences were found on the instability of self-esteem and affective lability on the following variables: gender, smoking, anxiety, depression, stress in everyday life, number of extracted teeth, and satisfaction with appearance of one's own teeth (Ps