Personality and anxiety in temporomandibular joint syndrome patients

Much research has suggested that anxiety is involved in the temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), but it is not clear whether it is a cause or a consequence of the disorder. The present study attempts to resolve this issue. Thirty-two patients suffering from temporomandibular joint syndrome and 32 sex- and age-matched dental clinic controls completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and a standardized inventory of bodily symptomatology. TMJ patients scored significantly higher on Eysenck's neuroticism and introversion scales (both P less than 0.05) and had higher trait anxiety scores (P less than 0.005) when compared with controls. These results suggest that TMJ patients have personalities that are vulnerable to life stresses, but that they are not more anxious than controls at any given time. Such a personality profile is similar to that found in other 'functional' syndrome patient groups, such as individuals with globus pharyngis. We suggest that certain stress prone personalities express anxiety in the form of a predictable set of physical syndromes which may be subject to changes with time.