Salivary Cortisol as a Diagnostic Marker in Oral Lichen Planus

Contributors: 1Post-graduate Student, Department of Oral Medicine & Maxillofacial Radiology, Guru Nanak Dev Dental College & Research Institute, Sunam, Punjab, India; 2Professor and Head, Department of Oral Medicine & Maxillofacial Radiology, Guru Nanak Dev Dental College & Research Institute, Sunam, Punjab, India; 3Reader, Department of Oral Medicine & Maxillofacial Radiology, Guru Nanak Dev Dental College & Research Institute, Sunam, Punjab, India; 4Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine & Maxillofacial Radiology, Guru Nanak Dev Dental College & Research Institute, Sunam, Punjab, India. Correspondence: Kaur B. Department of Oral Medicine & Maxillofacial Radiology, Guru Nanak Dev Dental College & Research Institute, Sunam, Punjab, India. Email: [email protected] How to cite the article: Kaur B, Sunil MK, Trivedi A, Singla N, Garg S, Goyal N. Salivary cortisol in oral lichen planus: A diagnostic marker? J Int Oral Health 2015;7(10):43-48. Abstract: Background: Lichen planus (LP) is a common chronic inflammatory diseases of oral mucous membrane and skin. Cortisol, also known as “stress hormone” released by the adrenal gland, has been used as an indicator in various studies related to stress evaluation. The aim and objective of the study were to evaluate salivary cortisol levels and psychological factors and to find a correlation between the two in patients with oral LP (OLP) and control group. Materials and Methods: This study was comprised of 50 patients, 25 OLP patients (clinically and histopathologically proved), along with 25 subjects with the age and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Stimulated saliva samples were collected, centrifuged at 800 rpm and analyzed for the level of cortisol by using cortisol enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Psychosocial factors of study and control groups were measured by using depression anxiety and stress scale. Student’s t-test was used for comparison of psychological factors and salivary cortisol levels between OLP patients and the control group. Results: Significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress, (18.16 ± 2.62, 13.08 ± 2.15, 20.80 ± 3.34, respectively) scores were observed in patients with OLP compared to controls, irrespective of sex. Increased salivary cortisol levels were observed among 14 OLP patients in the study group. A correlation that was found between psychological factors and salivary cortisol levels in the OLP patients was positive. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient “r” values, between depression, anxiety, and stress with salivary cortisol was: +0.21, +0.24, +0.23, respectively among the study group. Conclusion: The present study concluded that OLP is closely related to stress. Hence, in the investigations of OLP estimation of the salivary cortisol levels should be considered. OLP patients should be provided with proper psychological counseling, which will increase their ability to cope with stress together with traditional treatment modalities.