Abstract
IntroductionIn the present work we analyzed the hormonal (salivary Cortisol; sC), immune (salivary Immunoglobulin A; sIgA) and cardiovascular (Heart rate, HR, and systolic blood pressure, SBP) responses induced by stress conditions in oral surgeons, randomly recruited according to their expertise level.Materials and methodsEach surgeon performed three different surgical procedures with increasing degrees of technical difficulty and under time-limited conditions, to assess whether these variants may influence the risks of stress-induced secondary hypertension among the involved health professionals. sC and sIgA samples and cardiovascular function measurements were taken up before, during, and two hours after every surgery. Salivary samples and cardiovascular measurements were taken also during non-surgical days, as baseline controls.ResultsWe observed that more experienced surgeons showed a higher stress management ability compared to those with less experience or, generally, younger, which are more exposed to the risks of developing secondary hypertension. Nevertheless, indipendently of sex and experience, oral surgeons are constantly exposed to high risks of developing stress-related diseases.ConclusionsOn the basis of the issues addressed and the results obtained, we have highlighted the importance of the investigated stress biomarkers to monitor and to prevent stress-related pathologies among oral surgeons. This approach is aimed to emphasize the significance of these specific stress-biomarkers, which represent a powerful instrument to evaluate stress levels in oral surgeons, and that may help to reduce the most severe life-threatening risks to which they are daily exposed. In conclusion, final goal of this study is to suggest an useful guideline to monitor the stress levels of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in order to improve their quality of life, which is inevitably reflected on the quality of the performances provided and, finally, to prevent possible mistakes in their daily activities.
Highlights
In the present work we analyzed the hormonal, immune and cardiovascular (Heart rate, HR, and systolic blood pressure, SBP) responses induced by stress conditions in oral surgeons, randomly recruited according to their expertise level
Alpha-amylase, IgA and chromogranin A (CgA) [5,6,7], are associated with stress state; for example, such parameters result significantly altered during several dental therapies [8]
In the light of these findings, the aim of the present work is to analyze the above described biomarkers in three groups of oral surgeons, recruited according to their experience level, and engaged in three different surgical procedures with increasing degrees of technical difficulty, to assess whether these variants may influence hormonal/immune response and cardiovascular response (HR and SBP) and whether they may affect the risk of developing clinical conditions such as secondary hypertension or, an overall decay of the general health status
Summary
In the present work we analyzed the hormonal (salivary Cortisol; sC), immune (salivary Immunoglobulin A; sIgA) and cardiovascular (Heart rate, HR, and systolic blood pressure, SBP) responses induced by stress conditions in oral surgeons, randomly recruited according to their expertise level. Much attention has been paid to two physiological systems the hypothalamuspituitary-adrenocortical axis, with the secretion of the glucocorticoid cortisol (Fig. 1), and the sympathetic-adrenomedullary system which induces the secretion of catecholamines and cardiovascular changes These two systems are important because of their involvement in pathologic consequences of stress (e.g. depression, cardiovascular diseases, and suppression of the immune system), and because they seem to reflect the intensity of stressful situations as seen from the results of animal investigations [1]. Alpha-amylase, IgA and chromogranin A (CgA) [5,6,7], are associated with stress state; for example, such parameters result significantly altered during several dental therapies [8] Some stressors, such as prolonged mental and physical effort, public speaking, examinations, apprehension before surgery [8,9], can induce an increasing of these stress biomarkers, with pathological consequences on health. These factors can lead to the development of the burnout syndrome, defined as the triad of high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment [12]
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