Related Experiment Videos
Emotional stress and craniomandibular dysfunction in children
A P Vanderas1, M Menenakou, L Papagiannoulis
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Athens, Greece.
Insights
Emotionally stressful states in children aged six to eight years are linked to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tenderness. Epinephrine levels in urine indicate this association, suggesting stress impacts TMJ health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Dental Research
Background:
- Craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) affects children, potentially influenced by stress.
- Urinary catecholamines are biomarkers for stress responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between CMD symptoms and emotionally stressful states in children.
- To determine if urinary catecholamine levels correlate with CMD signs and symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Clinical examination and interviews assessed CMD signs/symptoms in 314 children (6-8 years).
- 24-hour urine samples analyzed for catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine) via HPLC.
- Logistic multiple regression analysis used to evaluate associations.
Main Results:
- Epinephrine levels significantly correlated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tenderness.
- Norepinephrine and dopamine showed no significant association with CMD signs/symptoms.
- Emotionally stressful states appear to increase the likelihood of TMJ tenderness.
Conclusions:
- Emotionally stressful states may contribute to the development of TMJ tenderness in children.
- Epinephrine is a potential indicator of stress-related TMJ issues in pediatric populations.
- Further research is warranted to explore stress-management interventions for CMD.
Abstract:
This study investigated the relationship between craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) and emotionally stressful states measured by the urinary catecholamines in 314 children aged six to eight years. The children were examined clinically and interviewed by the same investigator. During the clinical examination the following variables were recorded: maximal mouth opening with and without pain, deviation of the mandible in opening wide, muscle and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tenderness or pain and sounds from the TMJ. The variables recorded during the interview were headaches, difficulties in opening wide, pain upon opening wide, and clicking. A questionnaire was distributed to the parents to collect information regarding socioeconomic factors. A 24-hour urine sample was collected for each subject and analyzed by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique to assay the catecholamine content. The logistic multiple regression analysis was carried out to test whether craniomandibular dysfunction was affected by the studied variables. A 95% probability level was used. The results showed that epinephrine had a significant effect on TMJ tenderness, while norepinephrine and dopamine did not have a significant association with any of the signs and symptoms of CMD. The data suggest that emotionally stressful states increase the probability of developing TMJ tenderness in children of this age.