Prevalence of self-reported symptoms of temporomandibular disorders and associated factors in the period of distance learning

Abstract

Objective Assess the prevalence of self-reported TMD symptoms and anxiety and check the quality of sleep and life during the distance learning period in university students at the University of Brasilia (UnB). Materials and methods The participants were students from the Health Sciences College and Medicine College at UnB. Self-administered questionnaires were used to evaluate symptoms of TMD, quality of life, and sleep quality. One-way analysis of variance, followed by Bonferroni test, and Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s test, were performed ( P < 0.05). For qualitative data analysis, the chi-square test was applied ( P < 0.05). Results Total 156 students were included; prevalence of TMD, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and poor sleep quality was 73.1%, 84%, 12.8%, and 62.8%, respectively. A greater prevalence of painful TMD was observed in students with severe anxiety ( P = 0.007). Students with symptoms of painful TMD, severe anxiety, and sleep disorders had statistically worse quality of life. Conclusions The implementation of distance learning in health courses to replace classroom teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted TMD prevalence, anxiety, quality of life, and sleep quality. Clinical relevance Psychological factors are directly associated with TMD symptoms and quality of life, TMD conditions are related to quality of life as well. COVID-19 pandemic and the distance learning in health courses are new situations that can lead to a great impact on mental health and in consequence to TMD conditions and quality of life. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00784-022-04743-z.

Comparison of painful temporomandibular disorders, psychological characteristics, sleep quality, and oral health-related quality of life of patients seeking care before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…The few cross-sectional studies conducted during and one year after the Covid-19 pandemic indicated greater frequencies of symptoms and higher levels of psychological distress among individuals with TMDs [ 24 – 27 ]. Furthermore, both sleep quality and OHRQoL were also found to be diminished and related to TMDs [ 28 , 29 ]. Nevertheless, the two available prospective studies involving TMD patients yielded varied findings with one demonstrating greater psychological distress and another specifying no worsening of pain intensity and OHRQoL during the Covid-19 pandemic [ 30 , 31 ].…”