Temporomandibular dysfunction experience is associated with oral health-related quality of life: an Australian national study

Treatment options used in the management of people with temporomandibular disorders by Australian dentists and physiotherapists

BACKGROUND

Studies documenting the treatments used by dentists in the management of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) have been undertaken in some countries; however, no such research has been conducted in Australia. No similar studies have been documented for physiotherapists.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to determine the treatment options and referral patterns used by Australian dentists and physiotherapists in managing people with TMDs.

METHODS

Prospective nationwide online questionnaires targeting Australian dentists and physiotherapists were created for Australian dentists and physiotherapists.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight respondents (27 dentists; 51 physiotherapists) completed all questions in the questionnaires. Sixty respondents reported actively treating people with TMDs. The treatment options used most frequently by dentists included advice and education, oral appliances, physical agents such as moist heat and medications. The treatment options most frequently used by physiotherapists included manual therapy, exercises, electrophysical agents and advice and education. Referrals were most frequently made to dentists and physiotherapists with experience and/or expertise in managing people with TMDs and to general dentists.

CONCLUSIONS

Commonly used treatment options were mostly conservative, reversible and evidence-based. More responses are required to draw conclusions representative of Australian dentists and physiotherapists in the management of people with TMDs.

Temporomandibular disorders in individuals with Marfan syndrome: an exploratory analysis

BACKGROUND

This study aims to analyze to what extent patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) are affected by temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and its impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). To collect data, an online questionnaire was created to recruit participants from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through social media and support groups. The questionnaire consists of free-text questions, the German versions of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G14), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), and the Graded Chronic Pain Status (GCPS).

RESULTS

A total of 76 participants with diagnosed MFS were included. Of these, 65.8% showed TMD symptoms, the most common being pain or stiffness of the masticatory muscles in the jaw angle (50.0%). Only 14.5% of the participants were already diagnosed with TMD. Of the participants with an increased likelihood of a depression disorder, 76.9% showed TMD symptoms. Of those with a critical score for an anxiety disorder, 90.9% showed TMD symptoms. 73.3% of participants with TMD symptoms reached the critical score for a stress disorder. TMD symptoms were associated with a higher risk for chronic pain. In the median, participants with TMD showed statistically notably higher OHIP-G14 scores than participants without TMD (11.5 [IQR 17] vs. 1 [IQR 3] points, p ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSION

TMD symptoms had a noticeable impact on OHRQoL in patients with MFS, i.e., chronic pain and psychological impairment. TMD seems underdiagnosed, and more research is needed to prevent the associated chronification of pain and psychological burden to improve the OHRQoL.

The relation of temporomandibular disorders with oral health-related quality of life in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the association between temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in an adult population.

METHODS

The data included 1,768 adults 46 years of age in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) study. The symptoms, signs and diagnoses of TMD were assessed using a modified protocol of the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) and validated questionnaires. OHRQoL was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Associations of TMD and OHRQoL were evaluated with χ2 -test and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

In females, pain-related TMD signs and diagnoses associated significantly with prevalence of OHIP total and all dimensions, whereas in joint-related TMD, psychological dimensions showed the strongest association. Males with pain- or joint-related TMD, the most impaired dimension was physical pain.

CONCLUSION

Pain-related TMD seems to associate more strongly with lower OHRQoL than joint-related TMD especially in females.

Orofacial function and temporomandibular disorders in Parkinson's Disease: a case-controlled study

BACKGROUND

The difficulties and challenges faced by people with Parkinson's disease (PD) in performing daily orofacial function are not systematically investigated. In this study, specific orofacial non-motor and motor symptoms and functions were systematically examined in PD patients in comparison to a matched control group.

METHODS

The clinical case-controlled study was conducted from May 2021 to October 2022 and included persons with PD and age- and gender-matched persons without PD. The participants with PD were outpatients diagnosed with PD at the Department of Neurology at Bispebjerg University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. The participants underwent a systematic clinical and relevant self-assessment of the orofacial function and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The primary outcomes were objective and subjective assessments of the general orofacial function, mastication, swallowing, xerostomia and drooling. The secondary outcomes were the prevalence of TMD and orofacial pain. The difference in outcome measures between the two groups was analysed using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

The study included 20 persons with PD and 20 age- and gender-matched persons without PD. Both objectively and subjectively, persons with PD had poorer orofacial function than the control group. Persons with PD had also a significantly more severe limitation of jaw mobility and jaw function. The objective masticatory function was also significantly reduced for persons with PD compared to the control group, and 60% of persons with PD found it difficult to eat foods with certain consistencies while 0% of the control group reported that problem. Persons with PD could swallow less water per second and the average swallowing event was significantly longer for PD persons. Even though PD persons reported more xerostomia (58% for persons with PD and 20% for control persons), they also reported significantly more drooling than the control group. Additionally, orofacial pain was more prevalent in PD persons.

CONCLUSIONS

Persons with PD have a compromised orofacial function. Furthermore, the study indicates a link between PD and orofacial pain. In order to screen and treat persons with PD accordingly, healthcare professionals should be aware of and address these limitations and symptoms.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was approved by the Regional Committee on Research Health Ethics of the Capital Region (H-20,047,464), the Danish Data Protection Agency (514 - 0510/20-3000), and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05356845).

A three-dimensional Oral health-related quality of life framework for temporomandibular joint disorders: a structural analysis of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14

OBJECTIVES

the objective is to analyze the structure and relationship between the components of the Oral health-related quality of life using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) for patients with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJD).

METHODS

two studies were examinated by means of factor analysis, multidimensional scaling and their spatial display in a cross-sectional design (n=153).

RESULTS

three-dimensional solutions with an adequate fit were found: residual distribution, root mean square of residuals (RMSR) = 0.04, Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) = 0.96, and Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI) = 0.93; and Stress I = 0.023, respectively. The overall ordinal alpha coefficient was 0.92 (CI=0.90 to 0.94). The ordinal alpha coefficients for functional impact, psychosocial impact and psychological impact factors were 0.87 (CI=0.84 to 0.90), 0.88 (CI=0.84 to 0.91) and 0.78 (CI= 0.72 to 0.83), respectively. Item 9 was the most central, followed by 7 and 11. Items 1 and 2 had minor associations. There was no evidence of differences between centers: edge weight differences (M = 0.226, p = 0.94), global strength invariance test (S = 1.88, p = 0.1), centrality invariance test (p >0.05), edge invariance test (p >0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

the links between the dimensions and the items seem to involve psychological components. Oral health-related quality of life emerged as a three-dimensional structure (Functional Impact, Psychosocial Impact and Psychological Impact) of functional and psychosocial elements in which physical, psychological, and social disability were essential, while theoretical functional limitation was least important.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

the three-dimensional OHRQoL system for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is a worthwhile alternative to interpret psychological and psychosocial aspects.

Uptight responses between clenching and forearm raising with factors of visual feedback and maintenance effort in healthy young women: An experimental study on factorial design

BACKGROUND

To achieve different central preset force levels requires various fine-tuning efforts and may elicit different uptight responses. The mandibular lever system has a distinct regularity in the fine-tuning function of the upper limbs. The purpose of the present study was to detect whether the uptight responses elicited from motivating clenching differ from those induced by motivating forearm raising at different force levels.

METHODS

Twenty-five healthy females were enrolled in this study. The target was low, medium, and maximum force levels with or without visual feedback and/or maintenance effort. Surface electromyographic (SEMG) activity was recorded from the bilateral anterior temporalis and masseter or left biceps brachii muscle (BicL), and the T-Scan III System synchronously recorded the sensitive force values. The uptight responses and task difficulties were recorded for occlusal and left forearm lifting tasks using a unique visual analogue scale.

RESULTS

The highest uptight response value was achieved at a low clenching force level with visual feedback requiring no maintenance effort but at a maximum forearm-raising force level with visual feedback and maintenance effort. The SEMG activities of both jaw-closing muscles and BicL were associated with the central preset force level (P < 0.001). However, the maintenance effort only increased the jaw-closing muscles' SEMG activity at the maximal force level (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Clenching at the central preset lower force level with visual feedback is prone to elicit a higher degree of uptight response. The constant need for a low-intensity bite can have a negative effect on an individual's mood.

Dental Students' Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Temporomandibular Dysfunction-Self-Rating versus Clinical Assessment

The aim of this study was to compare dental students' self-perception of oral health with the results of a clinical examination of the masticatory system. Seventy-four dental students (38 (51.4%) females and 36 (48.6%) males) completed the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-G-14) and underwent a clinical examination according to the Graz Dysfunction Index (GDI). Data were analyzed with descriptive and comparative statistics. Median OHIP-G-14 scores were 3 (IQR 0-6) in the total collective, 4 (1-11) in females, and 2 (0-4) in males (p = 0.072). A score of 0 was found in 29.7% of the sample. The results of the GDI were 50% "normal function", 43.2% "adaptation", 5.4% "compensation", and 1.4% "dysfunction". The comparison of OHIP-G-14 scores and DGI groups showed a significant difference (p = 0.031). Based on the questionnaire, less than one third of the sample indicated maximum oral health-related quality of life. In contrast, the GDI revealed "normal function" or "adaptation" in 93.2%. Dental students underappreciated their oral health condition. Health assessments should not be solely questionnaire-based, especially in health professionals (-to-be). To establish a valid diagnosis of the state of health, self-assessment must be complemented by an objective clinical examination, e.g., GDI.