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Sleep quality and biopsychosocial burden in myogenous temporomandibular disorders
Serena Incerti Parenti1, Alessandro Maglioni1,2, Elia Evangelisti1,3
1Unit of Orthodontics and Sleep Dentistry, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Objective:
To compare biopsychosocial burden, depressive symptoms, and masticatory muscle pain sensitivity between patients with good and poor sleep quality in myogenous temporomandibular disorders (TMD).
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, 95 adults with myogenous TMD according to the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD were classified into good or poor sleepers based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Pain intensity, biopsychosocial burden, insomnia severity, and pain catastrophizing were evaluated using validated instruments. Masticatory muscle pressure pain thresholds (PPT) assessed pain sensitivity.
Results:
Poor sleepers reported higher pain intensity, depressive symptoms, anxiety, somatic burden, oral parafunctions, and insomnia severity. No significant differences emerged in pain catastrophizing, functional limitation, or PPT. Poor sleep quality remained associated with depressive symptoms but not pain intensity after adjusting for psychosocial domains.
Conclusions:
In this sample of myogenous TMD patients poor sleep quality appeared associated with greater psychological burden, particularly depressive symptoms, but not with reduced PPT.
