Evaluation Of Stress Levels Of Pediatric Dentist Performing Dental Treatment In The Operating Room

April 14, 2026 updated by: Merve Kepezkaya, TC Erciyes University

Evaluation Of Stress Levels Of A Group Of Pediatric Dentist During Laryngeal Mask, Deep Sedation And General Anesthesia Procedures

This study will measure the stress levels of pediatric dentists performing dental treatments under deep sedation and general anesthesia. Stress levels will be compared during sedation and general anesthesia procedures performed using three different methods. Salivary alpha-amylase and salivary cortisol levels will be measured to assess stress.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

The aim of this study is to determine the stress levels of pediatric dentists during dental treatment procedures using different airway devices (nasal mask, laryngeal mask (LMA), intubation tube) in the operating room environment and to examine the changes according to the methods.

Three female dentists with at least 10 years of experience, systemically healthy, and similar age, height, and weight, working at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of Erciyes University Faculty of Dentistry participated in this study. Each dentist treated 42 patients, 14 each, using nasal mask, laryngeal mask and general anesthesia methods. A total of 126 patients were treated in the operating room. Vital signs (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation) were measured three times by physicians, 10 minutes before starting the treatment, 25 minutes after the treatment, and 10 minutes after the treatment ended, and saliva samples were taken.

All measurements were made between 9:00 and 12:00 a.m. salivary cortisol was measured by electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA) method using the Roche Cortisol II kit and the Roche Cobas e 801 analyzer. Salivary alpha amylase was measured by colorimetric enzyme test using Roche Cobas c 701 analyzer. Physicians' stress was assessed using VAS (Visual Analog Scale), one of the psychogenic methods.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Melikgazi
      • Kayseri, Melikgazi, Turkey (Türkiye), 38039
        • Erciyes University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The participants were selected from female pediatric dentists working at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m² and less
  • Systemically healthy
  • Without a diagnosed stress-anxiety disorder or depression
  • Having worked with pediatric patients in an operating room environment for at least 10 years.
  • Responding to chronic occupational stress questions similar to the Dentist Job Stress Questionnaire (DJS).
  • Female pediatric dentist

Exclusion Criteria:

  • pregnant women
  • breastfeeding mothers

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Deep sedation with nasal mask
Three pediatric dentists each treated 14 patients under deep sedation with a nasal mask. The dentists' stress levels were measured throughout the treatments.
Deep sedation with laryngeal mask
Three pediatric dentists each treated 14 patients under deep sedation using a laryngeal mask. The dentists' stress levels were measured throughout the treatments.
general anesthesia
Three pediatric dentists each treated 14 patients under general anesthesia. The dentists' stress levels were measured throughout the treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
salivary alpha amylase
Time Frame: Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
Alpha amylase levels were measured in saliva samples taken from pediatric dentists.
Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
salivary cortisol
Time Frame: Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
Cortisol levels were measured in saliva samples taken from pediatric dentists.
Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Time Frame: Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured in pediatric dentists.
Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
pulse
Time Frame: Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
The pulse of pediatric dentists was taken.
Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
oxygen saturation
Time Frame: Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
Oxygen saturation was measured in pediatric dentists.
Measurements were taken three times: 10 minutes before each treatment, 25 minutes after treatment begins, and 10 minutes after the treatment.
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score
Time Frame: Each physician conducted an evaluation at the end of each treatment session.
Physicians used the Visual Analog Scale to indicate stress levels after each treatment.This scale is scored from 0 to 10. A score of 0 means "no stress". A score of 10 describes the "maximum stress" level. Higher scores on this scale indicate increasing stress levels.
Each physician conducted an evaluation at the end of each treatment session.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
TC Erciyes University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Esra Kızılcı, Erciyes Üniversitesi Diş Hekimliği Fakültesi

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Hellhammer DH, Wust S, Kudielka BM. Salivary cortisol as a biomarker in stress research. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009 Feb;34(2):163-171. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.10.026. Epub 2008 Dec 18.
  • Lesage FX, Berjot S. Validity of occupational stress assessment using a visual analogue scale. Occupational medicine (Oxford, England). 2011;61(6):434-6.
  • Nater UM, Rohleder N. Salivary alpha-amylase as a non-invasive biomarker for the sympathetic nervous system: current state of research. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009;34(4):486-96.
  • Lovallo WR, Buchanan TW. Stress hormones in psychophysiological research: emotional, behavioral, and cognitive implications. 2017.
  • Özmert S. Derin Sedasyon Altında Dental Tedavi Uygulanan Çocuklarda Anestezik Yaklaşımın Değerlendirilmesi. Turkish Journal of Pediatric Disease. 2019;13(1):30-5.
  • Meadows JL, Shah S, Burg MM, Pfau S, Soufer R. Cardiovascular Imaging of Biology and Emotion: Considerations Toward a New Paradigm. Circulation Cardiovascular imaging. 2020;13(8):e011054.
  • Giacomello G, Scholten A, Parr MK. Current methods for stress marker detection in saliva. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. 2020;191:113604.
  • Chojnowska S, Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek I, Kępka A, Knaś M, Waszkiewicz N. Salivary Biomarkers of Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Journal of clinical medicine. 2021;10(3).
  • Song KW, Kim HK. Job stress and its related factors among Korean dentists: An online survey study. International dental journal. 2019;69(6):436-44.
  • Kızılcı E, Kızılay F, Mahyaddinova T, Muhtaroğlu S, Kolçakoğlu K. Stress levels of a group of dentists while providing dental care under clinical, deep sedation, and general anesthesia. Clinical oral investigations. 2023;27(7):3601-9.
  • Anabuki AA, Corrêa-Faria P, Batista AC, Costa LR. Paediatric dentists' stress during dental care for children under sedation: a cross-sectional study. European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry. 2021;22(2):301-6.
  • Humphris G. A review of burnout in dentists. Dental update. 1998;25(9):392-6.
  • Dewa CS, Lin E, Kooehoorn M, Goldner E. Association of chronic work stress, psychiatric disorders, and chronic physical conditions with disability among workers. Psychiatric services (Washington, DC). 2007;58(5):652-8.
  • Davidovich E, Pessov Y, Baniel A, Ram D. Levels of Stress among General Practitioners, Students and Specialists In Pediatric Dentistry during Dental Treatment. The Journal of clinical pediatric dentistry. 2015;39(5):419-22.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 18, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 14, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • EU-DHF-MK-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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