Salivary cortisol could be a promising tool in the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders associated with psychological factors

Background: Biopsychosocial models emphasize the multifactorial nature of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The role of cognitive, social, and biological factors in the etiology of TMDs has been reported. Aim: To test the salivary cortisol levels in young adults with the temporomandibular joint disorder and having positive depression level and with TMD but with negative depression level and compared with the control group. The correlation between cortisol levels and depression levels according to axis-II of Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) was assessed. Settings and Design: The study was a randomized, prospective, and double-blinded study. Materials and Method: The total sample comprised 60 subjects. The study comprised 20 subjects with TMD and depression, 20 subjects with TMDs and without depression, and 20 subjects were taken as the control group. To measure these variables, research diagnostic criteria (RDC/TMJ) were used for the study. Salivary cortisol levels were determined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical Analysis: A paired t-test, ANOVA, and linear multi regression tests applied to compare the TMD groups with the control group. Results: The results showed that there was a positive correlation between morning and evening salivary cortisol levels in all the groups and the correlation coefficient was 0.729. There was a significantly higher value of salivary cortisol in TMD patients with depression than TMD patients without depression and the control group. Conclusion: Salivary cortisol could be a promising tool in identifying underlying psychological factors that could be associated with TMD.