Examination of salivary cortisol levels in TMD patients sensitive to stress

After changing the cortisol level in the blood, the level of this hormone also changes in the saliva. The salivary level represents the free cortisol of the blood with active biological cortisol.

Cortisol, which is also known as stress hormone, is a determining index in stressful situations. In some stressful diseases, the level of cortisol increases. The biological and mental factors are effective for Temporomandibular (TMD) patients who are sensitive to the low level of cortisol. In this study, the salivary cortisol level of patients with TMD disorders and that of healthy people were compared with each other. This study is a kind of case-control observational study which was done in two groups of patients with TMD disorders referred to the surgery ward of the dental faculty of Tabriz University. The mean salivary cortisol level in healthy people was 8.89 ng/ml, while in patients with TMD was 29 ng/ml. The increase in cortisol can raise the risk of TMD.