Association of sleep quality and psychological aspects with reports of bruxism and TMD in Brazilian dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic Dentists are exposed to contamination by SARS-CoV-2 due to dental interventions, leading to a state of alert and potential risk of negative impact in mental health and sleep quality, associated with Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) and bruxism. Objective: to evaluate the psychosocial status, sleep quality, symptoms of TMD, and bruxism in Brazilian dentists (DSs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: The sample (n=641 DSs) was divided into three groups (quarantined DSs; DSs in outpatient care; and frontline professionals), which answered an electronic form containing the TMD Pain Screening Questionnaire (Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders -DC/TMD), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the sleep and awake bruxism questionnaire. ANOVA test and Mann Whitney post-test were used, with Bonferroni adjustment (p<0.016) and a 95% confidence level. Results: Probable TMD was found in 24.3% (n=156) of the participants, while possible sleep and awake bruxism were diagnosed in 58% (n=372) and 53.8% (n=345) of them, respectively. Among all variables evaluated, only symptoms of depression were significantly greater in the quarantined DSs group when compared to those who were working at the clinical care (p=0.002). Working DSs were significantly less likely (OR=0.630, p=0.001) to have depressive symptoms. Those who were not worried or less worried about the pandemic were less likely to experience stress (OR=0.360), anxiety (OR=0.255), and poor sleep quality (OR=0.256). Sleep had a strong positive and moderate correlation with psychological factors on frontline workers and DSs in outpatient care, respectively. Conclusion: The results suggest confinement may have a more negative impact on the life of DSs than the act of being actively working. The concern about Covid-19 and poor sleep quality was significantly prevalent and may negatively affect the quality of life of DSs. Thus, further research on the topic is needed.

Background and Objective To evaluate the effects of Chinese scalp acupuncture in patients diagnosed with Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) on pain, sleep and quality of life (QOL), and compare these results with the results from traditional therapies. Methods Sixty patients diagnosed with TMD using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) were allocated into four treatment groups: Counselling (C = 15), Occlusal Splint (OS = 15), Scalp acupuncture (SA = 15) and Manual Therapy (MT = 15). Participants were re-evaluated within one month. Three questionnaires were used to access sleep disorders, QOL and pain: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-bref) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science program (SPSS 22.0). Results The SA group significantly improved pain (p = 0.015), as well as the OS (p = 0.01) and MT groups (p = 0.014). Only the OS (p = 0.002) and MT (p = 0.029) groups improved sleep. MT group significantly improved QOL in terms of the physical domain of the WHOQOL-bref (p = 0.011) and the OS group in the psychological domain (p = 0.012). Conclusion The scalp acupuncture proved to be another alternative for pain relief in patients with TMD, demonstrating positive results in the short term. However, it was not as effective in improving quality of life and sleep.

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Objective: The present study searched evaluate whether the occlusal splint, physiotherapy and counseling therapies used in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) alter the craniocervical posture and pain. Methods: Controlled, randomized, blinded study that included individuals previously diagnosed with TMD through the RDC/TMD (Research criteria for temporomandibular disorders). The patients were randomly selected from four treatment groups: occlusal splint (OS, n = 17), physiotherapy (P, n = 19), counseling (C, n = 15) and occlusal splint associated with counseling (OSC = 14), totaling 65 individuals. For the postural analysis, a teleradiography was performed at the baseline and 1 month after the application of the therapy, in order to observe the occiput-atlas distance (OAD), the craniocervical angle (CCA) and the positioning of the hyoid triangle (HT). CorelDraw X6 software (2012 Corel Corporation, Canada) was used in the images. The data obtained was submitted to several paired T tests (α = 5%) and for the pain variable the SPANOVA test was applied. Results: Except for the OSC group in the CCA variable (p = 0.003), the results showed that there was no statistically significant difference for the analyzed variables regarding the different therapies over time. However, it can be observed that all the treatment groups allowed a reduction of the patients' pain (p = 0.013) over time. Conclusion: It is concluded that the therapies applied have little influence on craniocervical posture but are effective for the relief of painful symptoms.