Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Chronic Temporomandibular Joint Disorders Patients.

Abstract

Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD), defined as a collection of medical and dental conditions affecting the Temporomandibular joints (TMJs) and/or masticatory muscles and associated structures, have an estimated prevalence in the adult population of around 10%. Symptoms of depression and anxiety have also been considered as risk factors for TMD. Aims and objective: To evaluate the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in patients with a chronic Temporomandibular disorder. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 100 patients diagnosed with muscle or joint pain, consistent with the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) and was assigned to one of three groups: Muscle pain (MM) group, joint pain (TMJ) group, and mixed group. Variable of interest were derived from the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)-42 questionnaire. Results: The mean (± standard deviation) age for the whole sample was 37.74 ±11.3 years; 86% were women. The overall prevalence of depression was 48.1% and overall prevalence of anxiety was 74%. Patients in the MM group reported the highest prevalence of Depression and Anxiety. Patients in the MM group were significantly more likely to be depressed and anxious compared to patients in the TMJ and Mixed groups. Conclusion: Elevated levels of stress, depression, and anxiety were reported in a chronic TMD population, especially in those with chronic muscle pain, compared to the general population. These findings emphasize the need for screening for depression, anxiety and other comorbidities in TMD patients suffering from chronic pain.