Assessment of anxiety, depression, and serum cortisol level in oral submucous fibrosis patients: A controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the anxiety, depression, and serum cortisol level in OSMF patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Outpatient Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Age- and gender-matched 105 patients were divided into three equal groups as follows: Group 1 - those with areca nut chewing habits and OSMF, Group 2 - those with areca nut chewing habits but no OSMF, and Group 3- those without areca nut chewing habits and without OSMF. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, respectively. Serum cortisol level was also measured simultaneously. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Paired t-test, Chi-square test, and analysis of variance were used. RESULTS Fifty (47.62%) patients were observed to be in the age group of 25-32 years. Ninety-six (91.4%) patients were males and 9 (8.6%) were females. The mean serum cortisol level was observed to be higher among patients with OSMF-C followed by those with OSMF-D. CONCLUSION We conclude that there is a significant association between OSMF, depression, and serum cortisol level.