The Association Between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The purpose of this systematic study was to discover a connection between temporomandibular joint disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. A systematic review of observational studies on post-traumatic stress disorder and the incidence of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) was conducted. Electronic searches of PubMed, the Saudi Digital Library, Science Direct, the Virtual Health Library (VHL), Scopus, Web of Science, Sage, EBSCO Information Services, and Ovid were performed. There was a consensus among the reviewing examiners. Only studies with the following Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms were included: "Posttraumatic stress disorder" combined with "temporomandibular joint disorder," "myofascial pain," "orofacial pain," "internal derangement," "disc displacement with reduction," or "disc displacement without reduction." Only full-text studies in the English language published between 2010 and June 2020 were considered. Of a total of 381 articles meeting the initial screening criteria, only eight were included in the qualitative analysis. Overall, pain is exacerbated in patients with PTSD; that is, their TMD is heightened in all aspects of pain, chronicity, decreased response to conventional therapies, and the need for more potent treatment options as compared with patients with just TMD. The evidence, albeit weak, obtained from the studies included in this review suggests a relationship between PTSD and TMDs.

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“…However, the actual prevalence could be even higher, as only part of the exposed population seeks treatment due to social stigma or a lack of resources [ 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 ]. Normally, in some situations, specific dental problems found in PTSD (myofascial pain, tooth bruxism, temporo-mandibular joint disorders, and tooth sensitivity) should alert the healthcare professional and facilitate the diagnosis [ 155 ].…”