An Anxiety and Salivary Cortisol Correlation in Dental Managements between Different Dental Departments

Abstract

Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the ever-increasing demands of life. Studies show that many challenges with stress at some point during the year. Seventy five Iraqi dental patients interning collage of dentistry divided in three groups, twenty five patients were admitted to oral medicine and diagnosis department, twenty five patients to periodontal department and the last twenty five patients were to oral surgical department. Each selected group was compared to the each other groups. The parameters of comparison were dental anxiety scale and salivary cortisol. The research was based on evaluation of salivary cortisol and modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS). The cortisol evaluation was achieved using ELISA technique while, MDAS were based on scoring questionnaire.The salivary cortisol levels and MDAS were ranges from 0.243±0.190 ng/L to 7.760±2.488 with a significant changes 0.0001 (p<0.05) in the oral surgery department. The collected cortisol level and MDAS were 0.274±0.273ng/L to 9.000±3.617 in periodontal department with a significant changes 0.0001 (p<0.05), while the diagnosis department showed a cortisol changes between 0.178±0.132 ng/L to 7.240±2.385 with significant changes 0.0001 (p<0.05).We concluded that the relations between the anxiety-fear of the patients were significantly changed and strongly related to the type of treatments ; we confirmed that by using MDAS according to the dental treatment in a different departments (oral medicine and diagnosis, periodontal and oral surgery) in compared with salivary cortisol level.The diagnosis department showed the lower values in salivary cortisol and MDAS with high correlation, while the higher values were recorded in periodontal department. MDAS was an effective tool in monitoring an anxiety for the patients. Types and applying of dental instruments were associated with anxiety.