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 predicts puberty stages. The aim of the present study was too 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 salivay 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 cephalometrics 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 significants.
Results: The results showed that the mean salivary cortisol level in the first, second, third, and fourth group 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 developmente of the CVMS from CS-3. Therefore, salivary cortisol level can be used as an indicator to determine the growth peak.