[Variation of the facultative oral microbiota during periods of academic stress]

Academic stress is a factor that impacts the health of medical students by altering their body's internal environment and its various constituent systems, including the microbiota of the digestive system, particularly that of the oral cavity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the variation in the facultative oral microbiota of medical students during periods of perceived academic stress during evaluation periods. This was an observational, analytical study that used mouthwash samples and microbiological colony-forming units counts per ml (CFU/ml) of oral bacterial and fungal microorganisms. Forty-seven participants were included: 59.57% were male, 55.32% had good oral hygiene habits, and 93.62% belonged to a middle or low socioeconomic status. The academic stress score was higher in response to the stressful event (UAE=62.5±12.3) and was significantly associated with a higher CFU/ml count (p <0.05). Yeast colonies corresponding to Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, and Candida spp. were identified on CHROMagar^TM. It is concluded that there is an association between perceived academic stress and socioeconomic status with the variation in the bacterial and fungal oral microbiota, respectively.