Relationship of psychological factors with salivary flow rate and cortisol levels in individuals with oral lichen planus: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between psychological factors and salivary flow rate and cortisol levels in individuals with oral lichen planus. STUDY DESIGN: A case-control study of 21 individuals with clinical and histopathological diagnosis of oral lichen planus and 21 individuals without the disease (controls), matched by sex and age, was performed. The Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories and Perceived Stress Scale were administered, and the salivary flow rate and salivary cortisol secretion pattern were determined. Data were statistically analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, McNemar's chi(2), and Student's t tests and the Spearman correlation coefficient. The significance level adopted was 5%. RESULTS: Individuals with oral lichen planus had higher anxiety (P = .001), depression (P = .005), and perceived stress (P = .026) scores, but no association was found between the disease and salivary flow rate (P = .29) or with the pattern of salivary cortisol secretion (at awakening: P = .98; 30 min post-awakening: P = .95; at bedtime: P = .97). CONCLUSION: An association was observed between oral lichen planus and anxiety, depression, and stress scores through psychological tests but not in relation to salivary flow rate and the pattern of salivary cortisol secretion.