Impact of chronic painful temporomandibular disorders on quality of life

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) are pathologies based on multifactorial etiology and a biopsychosocial model, where anxiety becomes one of the most important psychological factors as it is the most frequent symptom presented in most of the population at some point in life. Taking into account the need for a multidisciplinary approach, we set out to evaluate the possible impact of orofacial pain on patients' quality of life. In this study, the sample population FROM the Medical School of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) was evaluated using two tools: Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder (DC/TMD) and an adaptation of the West HavenYale Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Participants with Chronic Pain for more than three months and diagnosed with TMD were included in the research. The quality of life and pain intensity of participants with Chronic Orofacial Pain were assessed using questionnaires. Subsequently, statistical analysis were conducted. A total sample of 122 participants was selected. A statistically significant association was observed between an increase in pain intensity and a decrease in quality of life in three aspects we considered (daily activity, general mood and anxiety) and we demonstrated that pain intensity is significantly associated with a decrease in quality of life.