Psychological Factors in Temporomandibular Disorders Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of anxiety, stress, and orofacial pain in individuals with and without TMD. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the participants were divided into two groups (n=10, each) experimental group (EG) TMD patients and control group (CG), without TMD. The presence of TMD was confirmed using the RDC/TMD. The Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Oral Analog Scale were used for assessment. The Beck Anxiety Scale is composed of 21 multiple-choice questions describing symptoms of anxiety, while the PSS is a measure that evaluates life situations as stressful. An Oral Analogue Scale was applied to each individual to quantify orofacial pain, with 0 (zero) without pain and 10 (ten) being the worst pain ever felt. The comparison between groups was performed using the Mann-Whitney test. Logistic regression was used to verify TMD dependence in relation to BAI and PSS-10. Quantitative variables were correlated with each other by Pearson's correlation coefficient. The level of significance considered for all tests was 5%. Results:The association was statistically significant (p≤0.05) for BAI and PSS with a TMD. Conclusion: Although the COVID 19 pandemic has had a psychological impact on the general population, patients with TMD have higher levels of anxiety and stress than the control group.

Initial assessment of the psycho-emotional state of patients with temporomandibular disorders: A pilot study

“…In recent years, emotional state assessment has become even more important due to the significant stress and emotional strain experienced by a significant portion of the population as a result of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the death of loved ones and concern for their lives. 19 In their cross-sectional analysis of Swedish national registries, Fredricson et al demonstrated a strong association between the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders (MBD) and TMD. Pain, the most common symptom of TMD, was strongly associated with depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders, which are modified in TMD.…”

“…The primary goal of the project was to create a universal questionnaire for the initial evaluation of the psychoemotional state of TMD patients that would be available to all dentists as an alternative to numerous assessment scales, such as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Lazarus-Folkman Ways of Coping Questionnaire. 4,19 The questionnaire is only intended as a preliminary assessment of the psychoemotional state to guide the dentist's further management of psychotherapeutic support for TMD patients. It refers to broad emotions such as lowered mood, anxiety, introversion, current mental well-being, sudden panic attacks, and self-dissatisfaction.…”