Relationship of salivary cortisol and anxiety in recurrent aphthous stomatitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most frequently encountered oral mucosal disorders. Despite extensive amount of research, the etiology of RAS remains unclear. Psychological-emotional factors were considered as one of the major predisposing factors. The aim of the study was to assess the levels of anxiety and salivary cortisol levels in patients with RAS and also to determine the association and relationship of salivary cortisol levels to variations of stress.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 30 patients suffering with RAS, along with the same number of age and sex matched healthy controls were included in the study. Saliva was collected from all the subjects at 9.00 am to avoid diurnal variations of cortisol levels. Salivary cortisol levels were measured by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Anxiety levels of both groups were measured by using Hamilton's anxiety scale. Student's t-test was used to compare the anxiety and salivary cortisol levels between both groups.

RESULTS

The mean salivary cortisol level of the RAS group showed a very highly significant difference (P = 0.000) from the controls. The mean anxiety scores of the RAS group showed a very highly significant difference (P = 0.000) from the controls. The values of Pearson correlation coefficient between anxiety and salivary cortisol was 0.980 and one with a P value of 0.000 showing that there is a highly positive correlation between anxiety and salivary cortisol.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that anxiety may be involved in the pathogenesis of RAS. Thus besides traditional treatment of RAS patients, our findings suggest that psychological support is also needed.

Association of salivary cortisol and anxiety levels in lichen planus patients

BACKGROUND

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a frequently encountered chronic inflammatory disease of oral mucosa and skin, where the patients often relate the onset and aggravation of oral symptoms to increased levels of stress. Cortisol, also called as "stress hormone" has been used as an indicator in various stress evaluation studies.

AIM

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine any association between anxiety and salivary cortisol levels in OLP patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 20 OLP patients along with same number of age and sex matched healthy controls were included in the study. Saliva was collected from all the subjects between 9.00 to 9.15 am to avoid diurnal variations of cortisol levels. The saliva samples were analysed for cortisol levels by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Anxiety levels of 40 patients were measured by using Hamilton's anxiety scale. Student's t-test was used to compare the anxiety and salivary cortisol levels between both groups.

RESULTS

The mean salivary cortisol level of the OLP group showed highly significant difference (p<0.001) from the controls. The mean anxiety scores of the OLP group showed highly significant difference (p<0.001) from the controls. A positive correlation was found between anxiety and salivary cortisol levels in the OLP patients.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that anxiety play a vital role in the pathogenesis of OLP, thus besides traditional treatment, psychological support is also needed.

Evaluation of salivary cortisol and anxiety levels in myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome

Background

Myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS), otherwise called myofascial pain is one of the most common temporomandibular disorders, which in turn is the most common cause of orofacial pain of non-dental origin. Its etiology is multifactorial and still poorly understood. Psychological factors have been shown to play a role in the etiology. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between anxiety and salivary cortisol levels in patients with myofascial pain.

Methods

Twenty patients suffering from myofascial pain were recruited as the study group. The same number of age and sex matched healthy individuals were taken as the control group. The salivary samples collected between 9-9:15 am from both groups were analyzed for cortisol levels with the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Anxiety levels of 40 patients were measured using Hamilton's anxiety scale.

Results

The mean serum cortisol level of the MPDS group showed a highly significant difference (p < 0.001) from the controls. The mean anxiety scores of the MPDS group showed a highly significant difference (p < 0.001) from the controls. A positive correlation was found between anxiety and the salivary cortisol levels in MPDS patients.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that anxiety plays a vital role in the etio-pathogenesis of MPDS; thus, besides pharmacological treatment, psychological support is also needed.

Hereditary hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia: report of a rare case

Hereditary Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (HHED), an X-linked, recessive, Mendelian character, is seen usually in males and it is inherited through female carriers. It is characterised by congenital dysplasia of one or more ectodermal structures and it is manifested by hypohidrosis, hypotrichosis and hypodontia. It results from abnormal morphogenesis of cutaneous and oral embryonic ectoderm. Here, we are presenting a rare case of HHED in a 19 year female with classic features of this condition.

Imaging characteristics of diffuse large cell extra nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving the palate and maxillary sinus: a case report

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are a group of highly diverse malignancies and have a strong tendency to affect organs and tissues that do not ordinarily contain lymphoid cells. Primary extra nodal lymphoma of the hard palate is rare. Here, we present a case of diffuse large B cell lymphoma in a 60-year-old male patient that manifested as slightly painful ulcerated growth on the edentulous right maxillary alveolar ridge extending onto the palate, closely resembling carcinoma of the alveolar ridge. Computed tomography images showed the involvement of the maxillary sinus and right nasal cavity, along with destruction of hard palate, superiorly extending into the orbit. This case report highlights the importance of imaging to evaluate the exact extent of such large malignant lesions, which is essential for treatment planning.

Pyoderma gangrenosum with oral involvement - case report and review of the literature

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, noninfectious neutrophilic dermatosis. Clinically, it begins with sterile pustules that rapidly progress into painful ulcers of variable depth and size with undermined violaceous borders. The diagnosis of PG is based on the history of an underlying disease, a typical clinical presentation, histopathology, and exclusion of other diseases. The peak incidence occurs between the ages of 20 to 50 years with women being more often affected than men. There have been very few reports of pyoderma gangrenosum with oral mucosal involvement. Oral lesions in previously reported cases have included ulcers of varying sizes from a few mm to several cm and have been reported to have been found on the tongue, soft and hard palate, buccal mucosa, and gingiva. Some of these oral lesions have been associated with ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and polycythemia rubra vera. A few cases were reported with biopsy findings, the histological picture being nonspecific, showing ulceration, and necrosis with inflammatory cell infiltrate. A peculiar case of pyoderma gangrenosum with an oral lesion is presented here, and the differential diagnosis is discussed.