Summary
This cross-sectional study of 320 temporomandibular disorder patients examined psychological and socio-demographic predictors of pain intensity and pain-related disability. Whilst multiple psychological factors showed univariate associations with both outcomes, multivariate regression identified somatisation as the strongest independent predictor of pain intensity and depression as the strongest independent predictor of pain-related disability. The findings suggest that psychological profiling may help identify TMD patients at highest risk of severe or disabling pain.
UK applicability
The study was conducted at a specialised dental clinic using internationally standardised assessment tools, making the findings broadly applicable to UK dental and orofacial pain services. However, the specific clinic setting and patient population may limit generalisation to primary care or community TMD populations in the UK.
Key measures
Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), Epworth Sleeping Scale (ESS), stress questionnaire, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), characteristic pain intensity (CPI), disability points scales; logistic regression analysis
Outcomes reported
The study measured associations between psychological factors (somatisation, depression, stress, anxiety, daytime sleepiness, optimism) and socio-demographic variables with pain intensity and pain-related disability in TMD patients, assessed via standardised questionnaires and pain scales.
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