Bolos Otilia, Bolchis Vanessa, Dumitrescu Ramona, Alexa Vlad Tiberiu, Buzatu Berivan Laura Rebeca, Marcu Anca, Marian Catalin, Ciordas Paula Diana, Jumanca Daniela, Galuscan Atena, Balean Octavia
Department of Dento-Facial Aesthetics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
Translational and Experimental Clinical Research Centre in Oral Health, Department of Preventive, Community Dentistry and Oral Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", 300040 Timisoara, Romania.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Nov 30;60(12):1972. doi: 10.3390/medicina60121972.
: Stress is a significant issue among dental students, with both psychological and physiological impacts affecting their academic performance. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between academic stress and salivary biochemical markers, specifically cortisol and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), in third- and fifth-year dental students during the 2022/2023 academic year. : This study included 44 participants from the Faculty of Dental Medicine at Victor Babes University, Romania. Saliva samples were collected during a low-stress period and prior to exams (high-stress period). : Cortisol and TAC levels were measured using ELISA and TAC assays, respectively, decreasing from an average of 3.69 (SD ± 1.49) before stress to 2.86 (SD ± 2.28) during high-stress periods < 0.05), while salivary cortisol levels showed a non-significant change from 23.69 (SD ± 35.6) ng/mL to 20.44 (SD ± 23.07) ng/mL; additionally, female participants exhibited a mean STAI score of 91.65 (SD ± 5.13) compared to 91.09 (SD ± 9.41) for males, indicating greater stress responses among females. : The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores confirmed elevated anxiety levels during exams. The findings suggest that academic stress negatively impacts TAC while triggering a moderate increase in salivary cortisol, underlining the need for stress management interventions in dental education.
压力是牙科学生面临的一个重要问题，其心理和生理影响都会影响他们的学业表现。这项横断面研究旨在探讨2022/2023学年三年级和五年级牙科学生的学业压力与唾液生化标志物之间的关系，特别是皮质醇和总抗氧化能力（TAC）。 这项研究包括来自罗马尼亚维克多·巴比斯大学牙医学院的44名参与者。在低压力时期和考试前（高压力时期）收集唾液样本。 分别使用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）和TAC测定法测量皮质醇和TAC水平，其水平从压力前的平均3.69（标准差±1.49）降至高压力时期的2.86（标准差±2.28）<0.05），而唾液皮质醇水平从23.69（标准差±35.6）ng/mL降至20.44（标准差±23.07）ng/mL，变化不显著；此外，女性参与者的状态-特质焦虑量表（STAI）平均得分为91.65（标准差±5.13），男性为91.09（标准差±9.41），表明女性的应激反应更大。 状态-特质焦虑量表（STAI）得分证实考试期间焦虑水平升高。研究结果表明，学业压力会对TAC产生负面影响，同时引发唾液皮质醇适度增加，强调了牙科教育中压力管理干预措施的必要性。
