Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase—Biomarkers of Stress in Children undergoing Extraction: An in vivo Study

AIM: The anxiety of dental procedure evokes physiological response in the human body similar to fear. The level of cortisol and alpha-amylase in saliva can be considered as one of the major biomarkers of stress and anxiety. Our study was aimed to correlate the stress and anxiety with the levels of salivary cortisol (SC) and salivary alpha-amylase (SAA) in patients undergoing routine dental extraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The levels of SC and SAA were assessed pre- and postextraction in the salivary samples of 20 children. RESULTS: The values of cortisol and alpha-amylase showed a significant increase postextraction. CONCLUSION: Salivary cortisol and SAA can be considered an important and noninvasive tool for assessment of anxiety, such as dental extraction, in children. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Increase in the stress levels of a child in the dental operatory procedures like tooth extraction suggests the use of some behavior modification and shaping techniques by dentists to overcome the anxiety of the child before commencement of the procedure. This can aid in better cooperation of the child during treatment as well as helps in internal motivation toward future dental treatment. How to cite this article: Chaturvedi Y, Chaturvedy S, Marwah N, Chaturvedi S, Agarwal S, Agarwal N. Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase—Biomarkers of Stress in Children undergoing Extraction: An in vivo Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018; 11(3):214-218.