Evaluation of the effects of etiologic factors causing temporomandibular disorders on the symptoms seen in individuals

Objective: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is a clinical condition that affects the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and related structures and can cause pain in the masticatory muscles and joint area, restricted mouth opening and joint sounds. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between factors such as depression, anxiety and parafunctional habits, which are effective in the etiology of TMD, and the clinical symptoms of the disease such as restricted mouth movements, joint sounds, pain in the masticatory muscles and TMJ. In this way, it is thought that eliminating etiologic factors may contribute to the treatment of TMR by reducing symptoms. Materials and Methods: In this study, the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Oral Behaviors Checklist (OBC) inventories included in the Diagnostic Criteria for TMR (DC/TMD) protocol were applied to 100 patients who came to Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Prosthodontics Clinic with TMR complaints. Clinical examinations of the patients who consented to the study and completed the inventories completely were performed according to the DC/TMD protocol. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS 25 program. Results: The majority of participants showed mild symptoms of anxiety (38% of participants) and depression (40% of participants) and were at high risk for parafunctional oral habits (65% of participants). Anxiety and depression scores were significantly correlated with the degree of pain reported by the participants (p<0.05). Hypermobility, lateral-protrusive motion joint sounds and higher reported pain levels increase the likelihood of anxiety. There is a statistically significant relationship between parafunctional habits and pain symptoms (p<0.05). While there was no statistically significant relationship between clenching or grinding during sleep and examination findings (p>0.05), there was a significant relationship between clenching or grinding during wakefulness and pain findings (p<0.05). Conclusion: The examination protocol using DC/TMD can be used to identify the relationships between potential etiologic factors that may cause the disease and the current symptoms in individuals with TMR, thus eliminating the factors that may cause the disease and conducting a more effective treatment process. Keywords: Temporomandibular Joint, Symptom, Etiologic Factor