Background and Aim: Periodontal
diseases are the most prevalent diseases of the oral cavity. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the association between the salivary cortisol levels
with moderate to severe periodontitis in patients referring to Oral Medicine
Department of Dental Branch of Islamic Azad University of Tehran.
Materials and Methods: This
study was case control. Thirty patients with moderate to severe periodontitis
were selected as case group and 30 patients were selected as control group.
They answered hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD scale) stress
questionnaire. Periodontal indices such as plaque index and pocket probing
depth and clinical attachment loss were assessed. Each subject provided a saliva sample of
1mland the cortisol level was assessed
by ELISA method. Both groups were matched regarding confounding variables (age,
sex and smoking). Data were analyzed using chi-squared test and using Odds
Ratio. Correlation between HAD scale results and salivary cortisol level was
assessed using Pearson correlation test.
Results: The mean age of case group was
41.77 ± 7.92 and the mean age of control group was 40.73 ± 7.94. Cut off point
of salivary cortisol level was determined as 5.7 ng/ml by ROC curve method.
There were 17 patients (56.7%) in case group and 4 in control group (13.3%) who
exhibited salivary cortisol level over 5.7 ng/ml (p<0.0005). The mean of HAD
scale was 14.07 ± 6.10 in case group and 11.27 ± 4.24 in control group.
Conclusion: The
results indicate that there is a significant positive association between
elevated salivary cortisol levels and moderate to severe periodontitis. This
finding justifies further cohort studies or clinical trials.
Azizi A, Sarlati F, Shekarabi M, Hedayati O, Tabarestani T. Salivary cortisol levels and moderate to severe periodontitis. J Res Dent Sci 2014; 11 (1) :33-39 URL: http://jrds.ir/article-1-288-en.html