Background The aim of this study was to investigate the association of oral behaviors (OBs) with anxiety, depression, and jaw function in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in China. Material/Methods A total of 537 patients diagnosed with TMD were included in this study (average age, 31.5512.08 years; 86 men [16.0%] and 451 women [84.0%]). There were 31 cases of masticatory muscle pain, 459 cases of disc displacement, and 13 cases of arthralgia/arthrosis, and 34 cases were uncategorized. Patients were assessed using the Oral Behaviors Checklist (OBC), Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The relationships between OBC scores and mouth opening, pain scores, JFLS, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 were evaluated with Spearmans correlation analysis. The median TMD symptom duration was 3 (0.5154) months; men and women did not differ significantly in symptom duration or in the number of episodes of depression and anxiety. Results The following OBs were common in patients with TMDs: putting pressure on the jaw (52.9%), chewing food on 1 side (47.5%), and holding teeth together during activities other than eating (33.3%). The OBC scores were significantly correlated with the JFLS, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 scores ( P <0.01). Conclusions Patients with TMDs exhibit specific OBs, which are associated with depression, anxiety, and jaw function. It is necessary to further investigate the interaction of OBs with depression and anxiety in the development of TMDs.

Patient education is important in the treatment of temporomandibular disorder (TMD), but little is known about its effect on oral behaviors. We aimed to determine the dominant oral behaviours in patients with TMD and assess the impact of education on such behaviours. Between July 2018 and April 2019, 54 patients diagnosed with TMD according to DC/TMD were recruited. They received physical therapy and were provided education on TMD and offered a list of recommendations for improving their oral behaviours. The patient education process usually lasted for 10–20 min. Of these patients, 48 were reexamined at the outpatient clinic, 3–9 months posttreatment. We recorded the Oral Behaviour Checklist (OBC) score, maximum painless mouth opening (mm), visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain, and Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS) score pre- and posttreatment. Wilcoxon signed rank test and paired sample t -test were used for statistical analysis. Results showed that the most dominant oral behaviours included “putting pressure on the jaw” (59.3%); “chewing food on one side” (46.3%); “pressing, touching, or holding teeth together at times other than eating” (33.3%); and “eating between meals” (33.3%). Posttreatment, the patients reported a decrease in “chewing gum” ( P = 0.002 ), “leaning with the hand on the jaw” ( P = 0.013 ), “chewing food on one side” ( P ≤ 0.001 ), and “eating between meals” ( P = 0.007 ), but this change was not significant in subgroups with a follow-up interval of 9 months. We also observed a significant improvement in the maximum painless mouth opening ( P ≤ 0.001 ), JFLS score ( P ≤ 0.001 ), and VAS score ( P ≤ 0.001 ) for pain, posttreatment. In conclusion, patient education can facilitate management of oral behaviours and should be targeted towards specific oral behaviours.

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