Comparison of stress related physiological parameters with biological parameters of saliva among college students -...

Stress can also be defined as a physical, mental, or emotional response to events that causes bodily or mental tension. Starting with a lack of concentration, it creates a lot of inconveniences and problems with a snowball effect. Saliva, a prime component of the oral cavity, plays an important role in oral health. Under any stressful situation, this unstimulated salivary flow rate decreases, leading to an increase in salivary acidity, which in turn leads to a reduction in the salivary pH, leading to a lot of other complications.

This study was conducted to understand the difference in the levels of salivary pH and the sleep pattern of dental students during their exams. The objective is to prove that there is a marked decrease in the salivary pH and a reduction in the number of hours of sleep when the students are subjected to a stressor.

180 male and female college-going students were selected for a cross-sectional questionnaire study based on a random sampling method.

A questionnaire was circulated among the subjects as Google forms, and their responses were retrieved in excel sheets. Unstimulated salivary sample were collected in a sterile manner, and pH was estimated using a pH meter. An understanding of the sleep pattern was gained using a questionnaire.

This study is a descriptive analysis of varied information on stress and salivary parameters. The responses recorded were made into graphical representation; the pH analysis and flow rate were estimated, and it showed variations in subjects during the examination.

This study is the first-of-its-kind in comparing parameters of saliva, sleep quality and quantity in association with stress. We concluded that psychological variables-anxiety and stress-have a significant effect on reducing salivary flow rate which ultimately leads to a reduction in salivary pH.