Number and type of Temporomandibular disorder symptoms: Their associations with psychological distress and oral health-related quality of life

Abstract Objectives This case-control study investigated the presence of differing number and type of Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms and their association with psychological distress and impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Study design A total of 814 participants with TMDs and 147 controls were recruited. The participants were instructed to complete the Diagnostic Criteria for TMDs (DC/TMD) Symptom Questionnaire (SQ), the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), and the Oral Health Impact Profile-TMDs (OHIP-TMD). The participants were subsequently categorized by number and type of TMD symptoms. Data were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis/Mann-Whitney U test (α=0.05). Results The mean age of the participants (n=961) was 32.99±13.14 years (79.2% women). Participants with more and all types of TMD symptoms generally exhibited significantly higher levels of psychological distress and worse OHRQoL (P Conclusions Psychological states and OHRQoL are influenced by the number and type of TMD symptoms. Individuals having more and pain-related TMD symptoms with/without intra-articular features had greater psychological distress and OHRQoL impairments.