Goals
The objective of this research was to explore the oral behaviors exhibited by individuals with and without pain due to temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and with various pain characteristics; and determine which oral behavior correlates with painful TMD.
Methods
This retrospective cross-sectional study included 328 patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) who visited the Orofacial Pain Clinic. Patients were classified into 2 groups (painful TMD and non-painful TMD) according to pain status; Their other pain characteristics were recorded.
To assess oral behaviors , the researchers used the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC) and classified them into 3 levels based on the diagnostic criteria for the TTM scoring manual.
To investigate associations between demographic information, oral behavior levels, and TMD pain status and characteristics, logistic regression was employed, while t tests were used to analyze OBC scores. Logistic regression was also used to examine individual oral behaviors in relation to specific pain characteristics.
Results
Age and marital status were associated with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain status. Significantly higher OBC scores were observed in the chronic pain group compared to the acute pain group , but the scores were not significantly different for pain status and other pain characteristics.
OBC score and level were uniquely associated with TMD pain chronicity. According to multivariate logistic regression, “clenching or grinding your teeth while sleeping” was the strongest predictor of TMD pain and “placing your tongue tightly against your teeth” was the strongest predictor of chronic painful TMD.
Conclusions
There is evidence supporting a significant association between chronic painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and oral behaviors assessed using the OBC questionnaire. The results showed significant associations between OBC scores (total, daytime, and nighttime), oral behavior levels, and chronicity of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) pain.
The study also identified "clenching or grinding the teeth while sleeping" or bruxism during sleep as the strongest predictor of TMD pain and "placing the tongue tightly against the teeth" as the strongest predictor of chronic painful TMD.
Considering the presence of oral parafunctional behaviors as a confounding factor is crucial in the treatment of chronic painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) to ensure that optimal therapeutic outcomes are achieved.
Final message
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