Comparison of emotional disturbance, sleep, and life quality in adult patients with painful temporomandibular disorders of different origins

Objectives This study compared the differences in emotional disturbance, sleep, and life quality among adult patients with temporomandibular (TMD) muscle and/or joint pain. Materials and methods The study involved an analytical cross-sectional design. A total of 420 consecutive patients diagnosed with pain-related TMDs based on the Diagnostic Criteria for TMDs (DC/TMD) were recruited from a TMD referral centre and stratified into three groups, namely muscle pain (MP; n = 50), joint pain (JP; n = 329), and combined muscle-joint pain (CP; n = 41). Emotional disturbance, sleep quality, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) were assessed with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Oral Health Impact Profile-TMDs (OHIP-TMDs) respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using the chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation ( p < 0.05). Results Mean age for the three pain groups (females = 349; males = 71) ranged from 37.15 ± 14.91 to 38.60 ± 14.37 years ( p = 0.973). Ranking of depression, anxiety, and stress scores was as follows: CP > MP > JP. Significant differences in emotional disturbances were observed ( p < 0.001). CP patients had significantly poorer sleep quality than those with JP ( p = 0.004). Moreover, OHRQoL was also significantly more impaired as compared to both MP ( p = 0.006) and JP ( p < 0.001) patients. Correlations between global PSQI and OHIP-TMDs scores were weak to moderate ( r s = 0.30–0.47). Conclusions Patients with combined muscle-joint pain presented higher levels of emotional disturbance than those with only MP or JP. They also had significantly poorer sleep quality and lower OHRQoL. Clinical relevance Emotional and sleep health must be considered in the management of painful TMDs.