Identification of psychological comorbidity in TMD-patients

The aim of the current study was to access the prevalence of depression among patients with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) compared to patients with no current TMD.Patients (92) and controls (90) answered questionnaires on subjective pain, severity of chronic pain, jaw disability, emotional well-being and depression, and a clinical examination was performed.Temporomandibular Joint Disorder patients reported higher disability of jaw function, compared to controls (p0.001). The myoarthopathy subgroup (67.4%) had slightly more jaw disability than the myopathy subgroup (p0.05). While 51% of TMD patients reported poor emotional well-being, only 7.8% of controls were affected (p0.001). Clinical symptoms of depression were reported by 16% of TMD patients and not in the controls (p0.001). Among TMD patients, a higher prevalence of depression was observed in the myopathy subgroup.A regular screening for psychological problems, using standardized questionnaires, should be integrated in clinical examination of TMD patients.