Effect of Academic Exam Stress on Salivary Biomarkers in Dental Students

Abd, Suha; Mahmood, Heba; Abdullah, Wasan; Mutlak, Shaimaa; Hussein, Salim

doi:10.25673/123673

Proceedings of International Conference on Applied Innovation in IT · 2026/03/31 · Vol. 14 · Issue 1 · pp. 1021–1025

Effect of Academic Exam Stress on Salivary Biomarkers in Dental Students

Suha Talal Abd, Heba Kazhaal Mahmood, Wasan Lafta Abdullah, Shaimaa Sabte Mutlak, Salim J. Attia and Aya. T. Hussein

📄 Download PDF DOI: 10.25673/123673

Abstract

Academic examinations are a common source of psychological stress that may influence salivary secretion and biochemical markers. This study evaluated the effect of academic stress on salivary flow rate, pH, cortisol, α-amylase, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels in dental students from the College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad. Unstimulated saliva was collected from students before and after academic examinations. Salivary flow rate and pH were measured immediately, while cortisol, α-amylase, and IgA levels were analyzed using dry chemistry analysis. Data was statistically compared between pre- and post-examination samples. No significant differences were found in salivary flow rate, cortisol, α-amylase, or IgA levels before and after the exam, whereas salivary pH was significantly higher following the examination. Academic stress produced minimal physiological changes in the evaluated salivary parameters except for increased pH, which may reflect transient alterations in oral buffering activity. Further studies with larger samples are recommended to confirm these findings.

Keywords

Salivary Biomarkers Cortisol Alpha-Amylase Stress Response Psychological Stress.

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