Depression and It's Association with Temporomandibular Disorders in Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

The etiology of Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) is multifactorial in origin comprising of malocclusion, parafunctional habits, psychological distress, etc. Studies have shown a significant association between depression, anxiety and stress and its consequential impact on TMDs. Dentistry is a demanding career that challenges students physically and psychologically. Mental health has become a pressing issue since the past few years, but often gets neglected even among doctors. This study aims to understand the relationship between depression and TMDs among dental students and interns of a college of India.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 222 dental college students of India in the year 2022. A questionnaire to understand subjective symptoms of TMDs was used. To assess the severity of depression, a standardized tool namely Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used. Data obtained from the questionnaire was entered into SPSS software version 26 for statistical analysis. Spearman correlation test, Kruskal wallis test and Post hoc Mann-Whitney tests were used for data interpretation with statistical significance at p ≤ 0.05.

Out of 222 undergraduate dental students, maximum number of students who responded in the study belonged to 21-23 years of age group (117) and were predominantly females. Pain was found to be the most prevalent TMD symptom (80.2%). There was significant association between severity of TMDs and depression among students who belonged to 21-23 years (p < 0.001) age group. There was a significant association between depression and TMD symptoms among first (p = 0.030) and final year BDS (p = 0.001) students.

Psychological disorders can predispose dental students to TMD symptoms such as pain, clicking sound, and headaches. To mitigate these risks, institutes should incorporate thorough TMD, screening, mandatory psychological counseling, stress-reduction programs, and foster effective student-instructor communication. Routine mental health screening (e.g., PHQ-9) and TMD assessments should be integrated into dental curricula. Multidisciplinary care teams (psychologists, oral surgeons) could mitigate TMD risks in high-stress cohorts.