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Assessing Stress Related Behaviors on Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction: A Pilot Study
Author(s) -
Freyne Breffni,
Lone Mutahira,
Balta Joy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.03737
Subject(s) - medicine , temporomandibular joint disorder , temporomandibular joint , psychosocial , population , mastication , dentistry , occlusion , dental occlusion , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychiatry , environmental health
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a complex joint and one of the most frequently used joints in the body. Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD) affecting 7‐15% of the population with increased prevalence reported in females. The causes of TMJD are multifactorial and include factors like occlusion and postural problems, orthodontic treatments, trauma, emotional and psychosocial stress, age, gender and biomechanical strain. This study was designed to gather data via questionnaires about the symptomology and etiology of TMJD and its prevalence among departmental staff at University College Cork. Furthermore, we explored the link between the exacerbations of symptoms in stressful situations and other health related conditions. A total of 92 forms were distributed with 40 responses obtained (43% response rate). Analysis of the results show that TMJD is more prevalent in females among our sample group with the majority of the participants reporting healthy eating lifestyle with regular exercise. Less than half (42%) of the participants reported clicking or popping noises in their jaw on one side and while 36% of the participants experience clicking while chewing food. It is worth mentioning that 37% of participants without TMJD were aware of clenching teeth compared to 67% of participants with TMJD. A significant number of participants (37%) without TMJD had an awareness of clenching their teeth, 31% were aware of teeth grinding and 36% felt under mental stress with 23% suffering from sleep disturbances. Associated decreased pain thresholds at times of stress have been reported for TMJD which also link it to chronic painful disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia and migraine. Our data also suggests that there may be underdiagnoses of TMJD or that biomechanical dysfunction in some individuals does not lead to the development of the painful condition of TMJD thus preventing diagnosis and proper timely treatment in these individuals.