Caspian Journal of Dental Research

Introduction: Dentofacial abnormalities in growing children are a common reason for orthodontic referral. Studies have suggested the use of biomarkers like cortisol to predict puberty stages. The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between salivary cortisol levels and Cervical Vertebral Maturation Stages (CVMSs) on lateral cephalometry.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 male patients aged 8 to 18 years. After preparing unstimulated saliva in the morning and determining the level and amount of cortisol in saliva by laboratory method, the level of cortisol in saliva was compared with the maturity of cervical vertebrae in lateral cephalometric view. Individuals were divided into four groups (CS-1, CS-2); (CS-3); (CS-4); and (CS-5, CS-6) based on the CVMS. The collected data were entered into SPSS 18 and analyzed using ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test. A value of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The results showed that the mean salivary cortisol level in the first, second, third, and fourth groups was 1.37±1.34, 2.29±2.01, 2.62±1.86, and 4.51±2.34, respectively. The mean salivary cortisol level of the fourth group was significantly higher than that of the first and second groups (P<0.001 and P=0.029, respectively) but compared with the third group, it was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Salivary cortisol level increases with the development of the CVMS from CS-3. Therefore, salivary cortisol levels can be used as an indicator to determine the growth peak.