Evaluation of Cortisol Levels in Oral Ulcer Patients: A Descriptive Study

摘要

Introduction: Cortisol levels are an indicator of the hypothalamic– pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and its response to stressors, so they are a valuable measure of pain or stress in individuals [Lai JCL. Aging Sci 2014;2(2):120. Aims and objectives: To evaluate and compare the salivary cor- tisol concentration levels in patients with and without oral ulcers. Materials and methods: A total of 10 patients visiting the outpatient department of a dental college were screened and evaluated for the presence of oral ulcers during their clinical visit. Five patients with oral ulcers were age and gender matched with five patients without oral ulcers. Their salivary cortisol concentrations were compared after obtaining detailed history and informed consent. Results and conclusion: There was a marked increase in the salivary cortisol levels in two of five patients with oral ulcers indicating that there could be a strong association among the two. However, further evaluation with higher sample size would be needed to substantiate this finding.