Sleep quality in temporomandibular disorder cases

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Sleep Medicine
• Pain Management

Background:

• Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a complex condition affecting jaw function and facial pain.
• Sleep quality (SQ) is crucial for overall health and pain management.
• Limited research has characterized SQ in TMD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and compare self-reported sleep quality (SQ) in individuals with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) versus healthy controls.
• To identify factors associated with impaired sleep quality in TMD patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to measure SQ in 609 TMD cases and 88 controls.
• Employed Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) for diagnoses.
• Analyzed PSQI scores in relation to RDC/TMD Axis II measures (pain, disability, depression, physical symptoms).

Main Results:

• TMD cases reported significantly poorer SQ (mean PSQI score 7.0) compared to controls (mean 5.2).
• TMD cases with pain-related diagnoses showed impaired SQ (7.5) compared to pain-free TMD cases (5.1) and controls.
• Psychosocial status and pain-related impairment, especially dysfunctional chronic pain, were strongly associated with reduced SQ.

Conclusions:

• Sleep quality is notably impaired in TMD patients with pain-related diagnoses, and even more so with dysfunctional pain.
• The strong association between sleep and pain highlights the need for SQ assessment in TMD patients.
• Particular attention should be given to TMD patients with significant Axis II involvement (psychosocial factors and pain impairment).