IMPACT OF ANATOMICAL DISSECTION EXPOSURE ON SALIVARY CORTISOL AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN MEDICAL AND DENTAL STUDENTS
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Keywords
Cadaveric dissection; Salivary cortisol; Perceived stress; Medical students; Dental students; HPA axis; Anatomy education;
Abstract
Background: Cadaveric dissection remains a core aspect of medical and dental education, offering the invaluable three-dimensional anatomy. However, one can experience severe physiological and psychological stress when first subjected to preserved cadavers. This experiment had compared the changes in salivary cortisol and the perceived stress levels among the MBBS and BDS students during the first session of gross anatomy dissection study.
Methods: A quasi-experimental observational study was conducted among 100 first year students (50 MBBS, and 50 BDS) of a teaching institution. Salivary cortisol and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) scores were measured at two levels and these were measured at 15 minutes during entrance of the dissection hall (T1) and 15 minutes during completion of 90 minutes of a normal cadaveric dissection procedure (T2). Samples processing involved use of a high-sensitivity ELISA kit and PSS-10 scores were used to measure subjective stress. Paired t-tests, Wilcoxon test and correlation were used to analyze.
Results: MBBS and BDS students had a noticeable increase in salivary cortisol after dissection (MBBS: 9.82 ± 2.15 to 14.26 ± 2.87 ng/mL; BDS: 10.11 ± 2.31 to 15.02 ± 3.01 ng/mL; p < 0.001 in both cases). Perceived stress also rose (MBBS: 15.4 +/- 4.2 to 21.1 +/- 4.9; BDS: 16.1 +/- 4.6 to 22.6 +/- 5.2: p < 0.001). Even though stress responses in BDS students were a bit higher, there were no significant differences between groups. The post-exposure cortisol and the PSS scores were found to be moderately positively correlated (r = 0.46, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Medical and dental students that are exposed to cadaveric dissection initially develop severe physiological and psychological stress. Cortisol rise being in line with perceived stress reflects the intensity of this early educational experience and also the necessity to implement structured preparatory and supportive approaches to facilitate student well-being and adaptive coping in anatomy education.
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Suha Mahrukh
Lecturer of Anatomy at Muhammad Medical College, Ibn E Sina University Mirpurkhas
Amna Akram
Assistant professor department of Biochemistry Sahara Medical College Narowal
Awais Anwar
Professor of physiology. Sahara Medical College Narowal.
Hasan Najeeb Khan
Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad
Lubna Yousaf
Assistant Professor Community Dentistry Avicenna Dental College Lahore
Naveed Shuja
Professor department of Biochemistry Lahore Medical and Dental College Lahore
