Psychological factors and the incidence of temporomandibular disorders in early adolescence

• Main Authors: Luciano José Pereira (Author), Tatiana Pereira-Cenci (Author), Stela Márcia Pereira (Author), Altair Antoninha Del Bel Cury (Author), Glaucia Maria Bovi Ambrosano (Author), Antônio Carlos Pereira (Author), Maria Beatriz Duarte Gavião (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa Odontológica, 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.1590/S1806-83242009000200011; 1806-8324
• Keywords: Temporomandibular joint disorders; Adolescent psychology; Pain; Dentistry; RK1-715
• Source: Brazilian Oral Research, Vol 23, Iss 2, Pp 155-160 (2009)

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between psychological variables and the clinical diagnosis of temporomandbular disorders (TMD) in 12-year-old adolescents. TMD pain was assessed by RDC/TMD examination (Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders) (Axis I and II). Five-hundred and fifty-eight subjects (330 girls and 228 boys) were examined. Bivariate analyses were performed using the Chi-square test (χ2). The logistic regression models were adjusted estimating the Odds Ratios (OR), their 95% confidence intervals (CI), and significance levels. Only 2.19% of the boys and 8.18% of the girls presented one of the Axis I categories. All variables from axis II were related to TMD diagnosis (p < 0.001). Gender was significantly related to TMD diagnosis (p = 0.0028). The risk of TMD incidence for girls was 3.5 times higher than that for boys (Odds Ratio = 3.52, Confidence Interval 1.31-9.43). The individuals who presented the variable "characteristics of pain intensity" (CPI) higher than 0 had 31 times more risk of TMD incidence (Odds Ratio = 31.361, Confidence interval 6.01-163.5). We concluded that psychological variables and female gender are important risk indicators related to TMD incidence, even in adolescents.