The Prevalence of Comorbid Symptoms of Central Sensitization Syndrome Among Three Different Groups of Temporomandibular Disorder Patients

Aims Symptoms of central sensitization syndrome ( CSS ) were evaluated among three different groups of temporomandibular disorder ( TMD ) patients. Additionally, TMD group differences in pain and pain‐related disability were assessed, as well as emotional distress. Methods Participants were 250 patients with symptoms of acute TMD , recruited from dental clinics within a major metropolitan area. Sequential regressions and multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted in order to make group comparisons. Results Those with a TMD Muscle Disorder (ie, myofacial TMD [m‐ TMD ]) and those with more than one TMD diagnosis had the most symptoms of CSS and higher reports of pain and pain‐related disability. Moreover, emotional distress accounted for a substantial amount of the variance for physical symptoms and mediated all TMD comparisons. Conclusions Myofacial TMD is characterized by a high degree of comorbidity of symptoms of CSS and associated emotional distress.