Assessment of Stress Levels and Oral Mucosal Changes Among Corporate Employees - An Observational Study

Background Psychological stress has been implicated in various oral diseases like Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), Oral lichen planus (OLP), Burning mouth syndrome (BMS), Dry mouth, and Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs). People working in the corporate sector are particularly at high risk of developing stress and its associated disorders. Evaluation of psychological stress can be done by salivary alpha-amylase which has been considered as a biomarker of stress. The present study assess the stress levels of people working in corporate sector and correlate with the salivary alpha-amylase levels and stress-related oral mucosal changes. Statistically significant higher levels of salivary amylase levels were recorded in the study group. The salivary amylase levels were higher in females than in males. There was a positive correlation between stress levels and oral diseases. The commonly encountered stress-associated oral diseases in the study subjects were RAS, Dry mouth, and TMDs. Conclusion This study reiterates the correlation of salivary alpha-amylase and stress. The subjects in the study group demonstrated increased levels of salivary alpha-amylase and stress-associated oral diseases.