Comparison of salivary cortisol level in patients with controlled type II diabetes and healthy subjects

Background: Salivary gland dysfunction has commonly been mentioned by patients with diabetes. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the salivary cortisol level between patients with controlled type 2 diabetes and healthy subjects. Methods: In this case-control study (2014-15), the unstimulated salivary samples were collected from 60 patients with controlled type 2 diabetes above 30 years old (case group) and 60 healthy subjects (control group) matched for age and gender. The samples were transferred to the laboratory and salivary cortisol levels were measured using ELIZA. Data were analyzed using independent sample T-Test. Findings: The mean salivary cortisol level in patients with type 2 diabetes (1.73±1.017 mmol/ dL) was significantly different from healthy controls (1.08±0.643 mmol/ dL). The mean salivary cortisol levels in men (1.73±1.05 mmol/ dL) and women (1.73±1.01 mmol/ dL) with type 2 diabetes were significantly higher than healthy men (0.74±0.44 mmol/ dL) and women (1.26±0.66 mmol/ dL). Conclusion: With regards to the results, it seems that salivary cortisol level considerably increases in patients with controlled type 2 diabetes in comparison with healthy subjects.