A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationship Between Serum Cortisol Levels, Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Bruxism

For better understanding the relationship between stress-related hormone and probable sleep bruxism (SB), we compared the serum level of cortisol in patients with SB and healthy individuals. Thirty-nine patients with self-reported probable SB were compared to 40 age and sex matched healthy volunteers. All participants were examined and assessed using a two‐part questionnaire including Hamilton’s Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Morning serum cortisol level was evaluated by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Mann–Whitney, Wilcoxon, and paired-sample t test. The mean serum cortisol level in SB group (12.70 ± 4.90 µg/dl) was slightly higher than healthy individuals (11.3 ± 43.42 µg/dl), but the two groups did not show a significant difference ( P = 0.184). PSS mean scores were not significantly different, but HAM-A scale was significantly higher in SB group (19.13 ± 8.70) than in healthy individuals (6.80 ± 4.87). Higher anxiety scores could be better correlated with SB than morning serum cortisol levels and stress.