Salivary Stress Biomarkers in Subjects With Temporomandibular Disorders ( TMDs ): A Meta‐Analysis

BACKGROUND: Stress is recognised as a contributing risk factor for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), and salivary stress biomarker levels may be altered in such patients. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to assess the current evidence to determine the association between salivary stress biomarkers and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar and Scopus were searched. Case-control and cross-sectional studies exploring the association of salivary stress biomarkers in adult subjects with TMDs were included. A random effects model was used for quantitative data analysis. Risk-of-bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Out of 5319 studies, 16 studies met the eligibility criteria. All included studies were case-control studies; they included 549 TMD cases and 494 controls. Overall, TMD cases showed higher levels of morning unstimulated salivary cortisol compared to controls (SMD: 1.38, 95% CI: 0.40-2.36), whereas the level of evening cortisol between both groups was non-significant (SMD: 0.47, 95% CI: -0.00 to 0.95). Also, the qualitative results showed that the salivary oxidative-stress biomarker was increased in the TMD group compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The level of morning salivary cortisol seems to be increased in patients with TMDs compared to controls. This may indicate an association of salivary stress biomarkers and TMDs, although the level of evidence is very low. Therefore, further standardised studies are required to support these findings.