Vasanthi V, Thavarajah Rooban, Joshua Elizabeth, Rao Umadevi K, Ranganathan Kannan
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Uthandi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Indian J Dent Res. 2022 Jul-Sep;33(3):263-266. doi: 10.4103/ijdr.ijdr_498_21.
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.
To evaluate the stress levels of dental students: first-year undergraduates, house surgeons, and final-year postgraduates, using salivary cortisol as a stress biomarker.
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).
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.
Salivary cortisol is a non-invasive biomarker of stress. Postgraduates had higher salivary cortisol levels than other study groups.
压力是身体对任何需求的一种非特异性反应。专业教育本身就存在一定程度的压力。文献报道牙科学生比医科学生经历更多的压力。
以唾液皮质醇作为压力生物标志物，评估牙科学生（一年级本科生、住院医师和研究生最后一年学生）的压力水平。
研究纳入年龄在18岁以上且无任何系统性疾病的牙科学生。有皮质类固醇、抗抑郁药和口服避孕药用药史的学生被排除在研究之外。有经前症状、怀孕和家庭压力源问题的女性参与者被排除在研究之外。一年级本科生、住院医师和研究生最后一年学生被纳入研究。在上午9:00至10:00以及下午3:00至4:00之间的早晨和晚上收集未刺激的全唾液。通过化学发光免疫分析（CLIA）评估唾液皮质醇水平。
采用配对样本t检验比较各组内上午和下午样本的昼夜变化。发现各组内唾液皮质醇水平有显著差异。采用单因素方差分析比较各组之间的唾液皮质醇水平。各组内的唾液皮质醇水平无统计学意义。
唾液皮质醇是一种非侵入性的压力生物标志物。研究生的唾液皮质醇水平高于其他研究组。
