Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39523299›Full record

ArticleBMC oral health2024

Does salivary cortisol serve as a potential biomarker for temporomandibular disorders in adults?

Lujain AlSahman, Hamad AlBagieh, Roba AlSahman, Noshir R Mehta, Leopoldo P Correa

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC oral health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. The Role of Biomarkers in Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Lujain AlSahmanOral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alsahmanlujain@gmail.com.
Hamad AlBagiehOral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Roba AlSahmanFaculty of Dentistry, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland.
Noshir R MehtaTufts University School of Dental Medicine, 1 Kneeland Street, Boston, MA, 0111, USA.
Leopoldo P CorreaTufts University School of Dental Medicine, 1 Kneeland Street, Boston, MA, 0111, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe etiology of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of psychological and physiological factors. While salivary biomarkers, particularly cortisol, play an important role in TMD pathophysiology, evidence in the literature is still scarce and inconsistent. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the applicability of salivary cortisol as a potential biomarker for TMD in adults.

methodsThe Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) were used to accurately diagnose TMD patients. The study included adults, both male and female, aged 18-40 in the TMD group (n = 66) and non TMD participants (n = 66) matched for age and gender. Salivary samples were collected from participants at two time points: early and late morning. Cortisol levels in the samples were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA to evaluate the correlations between cortisol levels and the study variables. Tukey's post-hoc tests were applied to adjust for multiple comparisons.

resultsSalivary cortisol levels were significantly higher in the TMD group than in the corresponding controls (p = 0.034). In the TMD group, the mean cortisol levels early in the morning were 29.95 ± 75.05 (0-398.64), while the late morning levels were recorded as 4.87 ± 3.96 (0-17.13). In the control group, the mean cortisol levels early in the morning were 10.98 ± 16.83 (2.16-92.90), and late morning mean cortisol levels were 6.15 ± 6.13 (0-20.42). This indicates that the early morning levels of cortisol are higher in TMD patients (p = 0.046). In the subgroup analysis of the TMD, the mean salivary cortisol levels recorded were highest at 82.49 ± 124.34 (8.32-398.64) in patients having disc displacement without reduction with limited mouth opening. Furthermore, the mean salivary cortisol levels in the early morning were statistically higher (84.83 ± 132.80) in males compared to females (9.36 ± 9.01) (p = 0.008) with TMD.

conclusionThe result of this study suggests that salivary cortisol could be a potential biomarker for a specific TMD subtype (disc displacement without reduction with limited mouth opening). However, further studies are needed to better understand the role of cortisol biomarker in the underlying pathogenesis of TMD.

Indexed as

HydrocortisoneSalivaTemporomandibular Joint DisordersAdultBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesCircadian RhythmFemaleHumansMaleYoung AdultBiomarkersHydrocortisoneEnzyme immunoassaySalivary biomarkersSalivary cortisolTemporomandibular disorders

Identifiers

PMID39523299
PMCPMC11550516

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.