Cross-sectional study of anxiety symptoms and self-report of awake and sleep bruxism in female TMD patients

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between levels of anxiety symptoms and prevalence of self-report of awake and sleep bruxism in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Method: One hundred and eighty-one female patients, aged 19–77 years, were consecutively evaluated. The patients were selected from among those who sought treatment at the TMD and Orofacial Pain Outpatient Clinic of the Petrópolis School of Medicine. All patients completed the questionnaire and underwent clinical examination, both components of the RDC/TMD, in addition to answering questions pertaining to the assessment of levels of anxiety symptoms, taken from the Symptom Check List 90 self-report instrument. The subjects were classified according to the presence of self-reported only awake bruxism, only sleep bruxism, both, or none. A logistic regression procedure was performed to evaluate the possible association through odds ratio between anxiety symptoms and self-reported awake or sleep bruxism. The cofactors for each outcome were age, self-reported bruxism during the circadian period other than the one being evaluated, and the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Results: It was possible to demonstrate the presence of a positive and statistically significant relationship between anxiety levels and self-reported awake bruxism. This finding was not observed in those subjects who reported sleep bruxism.

Conclusions: A positive relationship was found between self-reported awake bruxism and levels of anxiety symptoms, but not between sleep bruxism and anxiety.     

Key factors associated with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) in Hong Kong Chinese adults with orofacial pain

Objectives

To investigate key factors associated with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) of Hong Kong Chinese adults with orofacial pain (OFP) symptoms.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst a random sample of registered patients at a primary medical care teaching clinic in Hong Kong. Patients who were aged 35-70 years and had experienced OFP symptoms in the past 1 month were included. The OHRQOL was assessed by the Chinese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). A structured questionnaire on OFP symptoms and characteristics in the past 1 month, the depression and non-specific physical symptoms (NPS) scale in the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) questionnaire, and questions about professional treatment and dental attendance were administered before a standard clinical assessment. Negative binomial regression with forward stepwise selection was used to investigate key factors associated with the OHIP-14 additive score.

Results

The mean OHIP-14 additive score of the 200 participants was 10.1 (SD 9.4). Regression analysis revealed that five independent factors were significantly associated with higher OHIP-14 additive scores (indicating a poorer OHRQOL): a higher pain scale rating in the past 1 month (p = 0.001), OFP clinical classification as musculoligamentous/soft tissue (MST) or dentoalveolar (DA) instead of neurological/vascular (NV) (p < 0.001), more frequent dental attendance (p = 0.008), moderate/severe RDC/TMD depression (p = 0.005) and moderate/severe RDC/TMD NPS with pain (p = 0.003).

Conclusion

Various factors were associated with OHRQOL and could have implications for the improvement of OHRQOL in people in the community who have OFP symptoms.     

DC/TMD推荐心理量表在颞下颌关节紊乱病诊疗中的应用

目的: 采用新版DC/TMD推荐的心理量表,评估颞下颌关节紊乱病（temporomandibular disorders, TMD）患者焦虑、抑郁及躯体症状等心理状况,探讨新版量表作为TMD心理轴诊断依据的临床意义。方法: 选择100例TMD初诊患者作为实验组,100例无TMD症状的普通门诊患者作为对照组。收集2组患者的一般信息,包括年龄、性别、受教育程度、个人收入等。采用广泛性焦虑症量表（GAD-7）、抑郁症状量表（PHQ-9）和健康问卷量表15（PHQ-15）对患者心理因素进行评估。采用SPSS 20.0软件包对数据进行统计学分析。结果: <30岁组和30~50岁组TMD发病率显著高于50岁以上年龄组（P<0.05）。实验组高学历者比例显著高于对照组（P<0.05）,而收入水平不是罹患TMD的危险因素（P=0.642）。实验组焦虑发生率与平均得分显著高于对照组（P<0.05）,而两组间抑郁和躯体症状得分无统计学差异（P>0.05）。疼痛性TMD患者的焦虑和抑郁程度显著高于关节疾病患者（P<0.05）,而两组间躯体症状无显著差异（P>0.05）。结论: 性别（女）、年龄（<50岁）和高学历（本科及以上）是罹患TMD的高危因素,而与收入水平无关。TMD患者的焦虑发生率和评分均高于普通口腔门诊患者,但抑郁和躯体症状与普通患者的发生率无显著差异。     

Salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels, psychological factors in patients with oral lichen planus

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the salivary levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol and scores of depression, anxiety and stress in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP).

Study design

Thirty-one patients with a diagnosis of OLP were selected; they were matched by sex and age with 31 control patients. Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were investigated by the instruments Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Lipp's Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults, respectively. Saliva was collected in the morning and at night for the determination of DHEA and cortisol levels by radioimmunoassay.

Results

There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to depression (P = 0.832), anxiety (P = 0.061) or stress (P = 0.611), or with respect to morning and night salivary levels of DHEA (P = 0.888, P = 0.297) and cortisol (P = 0.443, P = 0.983).

Conclusions

The results suggest an association of OLP with anxiety. However, DHEA and cortisol levels did not differ between groups, which does not support any neuroendocrine aetiology for OLP.     

Headache impact in patients with orofacial pain

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess headache disability in patients with orofacial pain. METHODS: The authors administered a Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire to 337 university-based clinic patients with OFP and 367 general dental (GD) patients, who served as controls. They made primary and secondary diagnoses in patients with OFP according to standard diagnostic criteria. The authors classified the patients into three major categories: primary headache (PH), musculoskeletal disorders (MS) and neuropathic pain (NP). They categorized the MIDAS score into four severity grades (I, the lowest, through IV, the highest). The authors analyzed the data using chi(2), t test, one-way analysis of variance and logistic regression for calculated odds ratios. RESULTS: Patients with OFP had a greater prevalence of headache than did patients in the GD group (72.7 percent versus 31.9 percent, respectively; P < .001), with a higher total MIDAS score, number of headache days in the previous three months and headache severity (P < .001). Within the OFP group, the diagnostic prevalence of PH, MS and NP was 7.1 percent, 79.8 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively (P < .001). The authors categorized 56 percent of patients with OFP and headache into the high-impact headache group (MIDAS grades III and IV; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OFP had a higher prevalence of headache with greater disability impact than did control subjects. The degree of disability was related strongly to the MS diagnosis. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The coexistence of PH and MS disorders can lead to higher headache disability. Clinicians need to treat both disorders concomitantly, which will result in improved treatment outcomes.     

Depression and anxiety in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor in the oral and maxillofacial regions, accounting for about 80% of the malignant oral lesions and around 2% - 3% of systemic malignant lesions. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which occurs in…     

Gabapentin therapy in patients with orofacial neuropathic pain: Report of 12 cases

Objective

There are several types of orofacial neuropathic pain and some of these types are often refractory to treatment. Gabapentin is an oral antiepileptic agent with a proven analgesic effect in various traumatic neuropathic pain syndromes. We retrospectively examined the analgesic effect of gabapentin on non-dental and non-traumatic orofacial neuropathic pain.

Subjects and methods

This study included 12 patients. All patients showed an excessive response to noxious (hyperalgesia) and/or innocuous (allodynia) stimuli in the affected region. Gabapentin therapy was initiated with a dosage of 200–600 mg/day. Pain intensity was assessed using a modified numerical rating scale (m-NRS) (0, no pain; 10, pain equal to that experienced on the day gabapentin therapy was initiated). In addition, the side effects were also recorded.

Results

All the patients had received medications for their pain prior to referral, but the drugs failed to provide adequate relief from their neuropathic pain. The m-NRS scores for all patients started decreasing within 7 days after internal use was initiated. The average time taken for the m-NRS score to decrease to half was 3.3 (1.7) days. Side effects were observed in 2 patients.

Conclusion

We concluded that gabapentin therapy is efficacious for the treatment of orofacial neuropathic pain in selected patients.     

The potential of heart rate variability for exploring dental anxiety in mandibular third molar surgery

An objective method to recognize patient psychology using heart rate variability (HRV) has recently been developed and is increasingly being used in medical practice. This study compared the potential of this new method with the use of conventional surveys measuring anxiety levels in patients undergoing impacted third molar (ITM) surgery. Patient anxiety was examined before treatment in 64 adults who required ITM surgery, using two methods: measurement of HRV and conventional questionnaire surveys (state section of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS)). Both methods were assessed for their respective abilities to determine the impact of personal background, the amount of information provided, and the surgical procedure on patient psychology. Questionnaires and HRV yielded the same finding: dental experience was the single background factor that correlated with patient anxiety; the other factors remain unclear. The STAI-S showed a significant relationship between the information provided to the patient and their anxiety level, while the DFS and HRV did not. In addition, HRV demonstrated its ability to assess the effects of the surgical procedure on patient psychology. HRV demonstrated great potential as an objective method for evaluating patient stress, especially for providing real-time information on the patient’s status.     

Clinical diagnoses and MRI findings in patients with TMD pain

The aim of this study was to compare the findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) pain patients with clinical diagnoses of myofascial pain or arthralgia/osteoarthritis in combination with myofascial pain according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD. The temporomandibular joints of 60 consecutive patients, 19 with myofascial pain and 41 patients with arthralgia/osteoarthritis in combination with myofascial pain were examined clinically and with MRI. Overall the most common MRI findings were different kinds of disc displacements and structural bone changes, which were found in both pain groups. However, disc displacements were found significantly (P=0.002) more often in the group arthralgia/osteoarthritis in combination with myofascial pain. One hundred and four joints were found to have no clinical diagnosis of disc displacements, but 64 of these joints had findings of disc displacements on MRI. Joint fluid was found in both pain groups. Patients having a combination of disc displacement and joint fluid were significantly (P=0.047) more common in the pain group arthralgia/osteoarthritis in combination with myofascial pain. In conclusion, the MRI findings of different kinds of disc displacement and structural bone changes were common in TMD patients. The clinical diagnoses for subdivision into myogenous only or combined arthrogenous and myogenous pain groups were not confirmed by MRI.     

Similar treatment outcome in myofascial TMD patients with localized and widespread pain

Objective: To study the outcome of oral appliance treatment in myofascial Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with and without comorbid pain using pain site drawings.

Material and methods: This randomized, controlled multicentre study comprised 65 myofascial TMD patients diagnosed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. Pain-site drawings were filled in at the baseline examination. The patients were treated with oral appliances. Treatment outcome was followed up for 1 year and analysed according to the recommendations by the Initiative on Methods, Measurement and Pain assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) on an intent-to-treat basis. The data were analysed for two pain profiles, localized pain (face and head, n?=?26) versus widespread pain group (pain sites outside the face and head, n?=?39).

Results: Statistically significant improvement was registered within both groups for all outcome variables (characteristic pain intensity, 30% pain reduction of worst reported pain, graded chronic pain, depression, and somatization scores) during the follow-up with only small differences between the groups.

Conclusions: Oral appliance treatment had a positive effect on all outcome measures during the 1-year follow-up in patients suffering from myofascial TMD pain, regardless of whether the pain was localized or widespread. Multiple pain sites seemed to have surprisingly little influence on the outcome variables. However, some indications of more challenges when treating patients with widespread pain compared to local pain could be observed. Pain-site drawings seem to be useful in the clinical situation and could support the clinicians in decision-making regarding treatment planning.     

Are the bite force and electromyographic activity altered in muscle TMD patients with abfraction lesions?

Objective: To verify if the maximal molar bite force (BF) and the electromyographic activity (EMG) are altered in TMD patients with abfraction lesions (AL) when compared to those without AL.

Methods: The sample was composed of 45 patients (18–60 years old), 30 diagnosed with TMD (RDC/TMD) (15 with AL and 15 without AL) and 15 controls. The BF and the EMG of the masticatory muscles (maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and chewing gum) were measured.

Results: TMD patients showed decreased BF (p < 0.001), without differences between patients with and without AL. The electromyographic activity during MVC was similar among all groups (p > 0.05), although there was a greater trend of muscular balance for the control group (percentage overlapping coefficient and electromyographic indexes). The TMD group without AL showed a lower number of cycles and masticatory frequency.

Discussion: TMD patients with and without AL exhibited similar results in the analysis of the BF and EMG, without differences.     

Pain measurement in TMD patients: evaluation of precision and sensitivity of different scales

The aim of this study was to evaluate the precision and sensitivity of four different pain rating scales in 59 temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients. The capacity of describing changes in symptoms during treatment was also addressed. All patients were asked to answer four pain scales: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numerical Scale (NS), Behaviour Rating Scale (BRS) and Verbal Scale (VS). Two measurements were taken before any treatment. After beginning it, follow-ups and repeated measurements were taken 1 week, 15 days, and every month for 6 months. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (P < 0.05) for all scales, but the NS (P > 0.05), when the two initial measurements were analysed. Regarding the sensitivity, all pain scales demonstrated general symptom improvement of 30-50%, when initial and final figures were compared (P < 0.01). Also, the most significant improvement occurred in the first 2 months after beginning the management programme. Authors concluded that the NS was more accurate to measure reproducibility of pain. As for the capacity of expressing changes during the treatment, all scales demonstrated symptom decrease of 30-50% in a period of 6 months. Caution when analysing the results is recommended because of the subjective aspect of pain measurement, the absence of a 'gold standard' for comparison and the natural fluctuation of TMD symptoms.     

Primary headaches in patients with temporomandibular disorders: Diagnosis and treatment of central sensitization pain

Objectives: Central sensitization (CS) has been found in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD), craniofacial pain (CP) and primary headaches, but its clinical implications remain uncertain. The first aim was to provide a synthesis of the current state of knowledge about the link between CS and TMD associated with primary headaches; the second goal was to find methodologies to assess and treat CS in this subgroup of patients.

Methods: A narrative review of the literature was conducted.

Results: CS is described in literature as an aggravating factor in patients with TMD-related primary headaches. Further studies are required to support this assertion.

Conclusions: The importance of excluding chronic neuropathic pain and recognizing CS as the main component using a top-down approach to target the best pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments is evident. Some useful tools to discriminate patients with CS from others have become available, but more research is required to enable an appropriate diagnosis.     

正畸治疗前焦虑、抑郁水平与完美主义倾向的相关性

目的 探讨正畸患者治疗前的焦虑、抑郁水平和完美主义倾向之间的关系。方法 采用修改版Corah牙科焦虑量表（MDAS）、焦虑自评量表（SAS）、抑郁自评量表（SDS）、中文版《Frost多维度完美主义心理量表》（CFMPS）对170例口腔正畸初诊患者进行测试,采用SPSS16.0软件包对数据进行独立样本t检验、相关分析和多元逐步回归分析。结果 明显患有牙科焦虑症（MDAS得分≥11）的患者42例,占24.71%,在SAS、SDS得分上均显著高于无明显牙科焦虑症组（MDAS得分<11）（P<0.01）;在CFMPS的担心错误（CM）、个人标准（PS）、行动的疑虑（DA）和条理性（OR）4个维度上与无明显牙科焦虑症组存在显著差异（P<0.05）。牙科焦虑症患者在CM、PS、DA与SAS和SDS得分之间均呈显著正相关（P<0.01）;OR与SDS得分呈显著负相关（P<0.05）;回归分析显示,CFMPS的CM、OR维度得分以及年龄对SAS和SDS得分均具有较强的预测作用。结论 正畸治疗前牙科焦虑症患者的焦虑和抑郁水平较高,且与其完美主义倾向之间具有显著相关性。针对牙科焦虑症的早期干预,应结合患者的年龄和不同完美主义个性特征而区别对待。     

TMD in class III patients referred for orthognathic surgery: Psychological and dentition-related aspects

ObjectiveTo investigate temporomandibular disorders (TMD), psychosocial, and occlusal variables in class III orthognathic surgery patients with respect to the control subjects, and to compare psychosocial and occlusal features in class III patients with different Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) diagnoses.Materials and methodsThe study enrolled 44 class III patients referred for orthognathic surgery and 44 individuals without a malocclusion. TMD, depression and somatization were assessed by RDC/TMD. Occlusal analysis included Helkimo's Occlusal Index items, overjet and overbite.ResultsIn the controls, patients with class III deformities had higher prevalence of myogenic TMD, increased grade of chronic pain, and more occlusal deviations. Within the study group, TMD patients reported higher depression score (P < 0.01), myofascial pain was related to higher depression and somatization grades (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively), and disc displacement showed relation with RCP-ICP slide interferences (P < 0.05).ConclusionWith respect to subjects without a malocclusion, TMD in class III dentofacial deformities is similar in prevalence, but differs in clinical appearance. Occlusal, but not psychosocial features deviate from those in the controls. While psychosocial variables accompanied TMD and myofascial pain, increased RCP-ICP slide was related to disc displacement in class III patients.     

The effect of a mandibular advancement appliance on cervical lordosis in patients with TMD and cervical pain

Aims:

A preliminary study to compare cervical lordosis by means of cervical cephalometric analysis, before and after six months of continuous mandibular advancement appliance (MAA) use, and to show how physical therapy posture re-education would improve the cervical lordosis angle.

Methodology:

Twenty-two female patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and cervical pain with lordosis <20° were included. Patients had to have a muscle pain history for at least six months, and with an intensity ≥6, measured by means of a visual analog scale (a horizontal 0–10 numeric rating scale with 0 labeled as ‘no pain’ and 10 as ‘worst imaginable pain’). Patients had to present the angle formed by the posterior tangents to C2 and C7 of equal or less than 20°. Cephalometric and clinical diagnostics were performed initially (baseline) and at the end of the study period (six months). During the third month with MAA treatment, a physical therapist evaluated the postural deficit and performed a program of postural re-education. Angular and linear dimension data presented a normal distribution (P>0·05; Shapiro Wilk Test), so the paired comparison of the cephalometric measurements was made by t-test for dependent samples.

Results:

Angle 1 (OPT/7CVT); angle 3 (CVT/EVT) and angle 4 (2CL/7CL) showed a significant increase in the cervical lordosis. Angle 2 (MGP/OP), angle 5 (HOR/CVT) and the distances C0–C2 and Pt–VER, presented no significant changes.

Conclusions:

The increase in cervical lordosis implies that six months of continuous MAA use, together with a program of postural re-education, promotes the homeostasis of the craniocervical system.     

Psychological correlates of medical comorbidities in patients with temporomandibular disorders

BackgroundMedical comorbidities are common among patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The authors examined the relationship between the medical comorbidities in patients with TMDs and their psychological functioning.MethodsThe sample consisted of 1,060 adults with TMDs, of whom 85 percent (n = 901) were female. At the time patients were evaluated at a university orofacial pain center, from 1997 through 2007, they completed medical history and psychological questionnaires. On the basis of retrospective chart reviews, the authors assessed the relationship between medical comorbidities and psychological functioning, controlling for pain severity, by using multivariate analyses of covariance.ResultsThe mean total number of medical comorbidities was 3.49 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.87; range, 0–16). The authors found a linear relationship between number of medical comorbidities and overall psychological distress (t[1, 959] = 16.79, P < .001) and interference owing to pain (t[1, 1,028] = 18.03, P < .001).ConclusionsPatients with TMDs who have medical comorbidities may be at increased risk of experiencing poor psychological functioning. Further study is needed to investigate whether the observed relationship changes across time.Clinical ImplicationsThe physical and psychological health of patients with TMDs may influence the course of their pain condition. When treating these patients, dentists routinely should assess not only the symptoms of their TMDs but also their general health status.