STUDY ON CRANIOMANDIBULAR DISORDER SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH VARIOUS PSYCHOPATHOLOGIES

Authors: Luminiţa ALBERT, Adriana MIHAI, Sorin POPŞOR

Abstract:

Craniomandibular disfunction/disorder (CMD) is one of the oral health affections that undoubtedly influence the quality of individual’s life and has a multifactorial etiology. Several authors considered depression and chronic extended pain to be significantly related to the onset of the craniomandibular disfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of some craniomandibular disorder signs and symptoms in patients with various psychopathologies and the extent to which the depressive patients are more prone to develop a craniomandibular disorder than those with other psychopathologies. Materials and methods. Included in this observational research were 40 patients (6 males and 34 females) with various pathologies, from the outpatient and inpatient psychiatric clinic. A specialist in psychiatry established each patient’s diagnosis according to ICD-10 criteria. For each subject, data were collected on the sign and symptoms of craniomandibular disfunction and on its severity, by using a modified TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) questionnaire. The data collected were statistically processed by descriptive and analytical tests. Results and disscusion. Patients with depressive disorders show average scores of craniomandibular disfunction (mean score 9.66). Depressed patients have a similar chance to those with other mental diseases to develop a craniomandibular disfunction (relative risk of 1.3235; p=0.9643). There is no significant difference between the CMD score between the group of patients with depressive disorders and that with other pathologies (p=0.061). Conclusions. Despite all its limitations, the present study revealed the presence of moderate levels of craniomandibular disorder among patients with depressive manifestations. The results obtained also show that depressive disorders do not appear as significantly higher risk factors for a craniomandibular disfunction, compared to other psychopathies, supporting the idea of a bidirectional relationship between CMD and the psycho-emotional factors.

Keywords:
  • depressive disorders
  • psychopathology.
  • raniomandibular disorder