Evaluation of stress among dental undergraduates and postgraduates using salivary cortisol as a biomarker.

BACKGROUND

Stress is a non-specific response of the body to any demand. Professional education has a certain level of stress inherent in it. Dental students have been reported in the literature to experience more stress than medical students.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the stress levels of dental students: first-year undergraduates, house surgeons, and final-year postgraduates, using salivary cortisol as a stress biomarker.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Dental students above 18 years of age and without any systemic illness were included in the study. Those students with a drug history of corticosteroids, anti-depressants, and oral contraceptives were excluded from the study. Female participants experiencing pre-menstrual symptoms, pregnancy, and familial stressor issues were excluded from the study. First-year undergraduates, house surgeons, and final-year postgraduates were enrolled in the study. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected in the morning and evening between 9:00 and 10:00 am and between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. Salivary cortisol levels were assessed by chemiluminescence immuno-assay (CLIA).

RESULTS

Paired sample t-test was used to compare the diurnal variation among morning and afternoon samples within the groups. The salivary cortisol levels were found to be significant within the groups. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the salivary cortisol levels between the groups. The salivary cortisol levels within the groups were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Salivary cortisol is a non-invasive biomarker of stress. Postgraduates had higher salivary cortisol levels than other study groups.