Association of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels in serum with periodontal status in older Japanese adults.
OBJECTIVE
The associations between periodontitis and stress-related steroid hormone levels released by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the association between levels of the stress-related steroid hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEAS) and periodontitis in elderly subjects.


METHODS
A total of 467 subjects participated in this study. Serum cortisol and DHEAS levels were determined, and a medical questionnaire regarding medical conditions and lifestyle was administered. In addition, clinical examinations including probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were conducted.


RESULTS
The subjects were divided into tertiles on the basis of periodontitis severity. When the analysis was stratified by smoking status, we found that cortisol levels were significantly higher in those with severe CAL among subjects who had never smoked. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis showed that a higher level of cortisol was significantly associated with greater numbers of sites with severe CAL only in those who had never smoked, while a somewhat weaker association was also observed regarding cortisol/DHEAS ratio. In contrast, the level of DHEAS in serum was not associated with periodontitis.


CONCLUSIONS
There were significant associations between serum cortisol level, including cortisol/DHEAS ratio, and periodontitis severity in elderly subjects who had never smoked.
Ishisaka
Aiko
A
Department of Health Promotion, Division of Community Oral Health Science, Kyushu Dental College, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Ansai
Toshihiro
T
Soh
Inho
I
Inenaga
Kiyotoshi
K
Awano
Shuji
S
Yoshida
Akihiro
A
Hamasaki
Tomoko
T
Sonoki
Kazuo
K
Takata
Yutaka
Y
Nishihara
Tatsuji
T
Takehara
Tadamichi
T
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D015415:Biomarkers; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone