Pain, dynamic postural control, mental health and impact of oral health in individuals with temporomandibular disorder: A cross-sectional study

Introduction Some studies claim that functional changes in TMD affect the stomatognathic system (SS) and could contribute to the emergence of pain and changes in postural control. Purpose To characterize and to compare pain, dynamic postural control (DPC), mental health and impact of oral health (QoL) in different types of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Method Cross-sectional study with 116 participants evaluated by a validated TMD protocol and divided into three groups, muscle TMD (TMD-M, n = 32), joint TMD (TMD-J, n = 30) and muscle-joint TMD (TMD-MJ, n = 54).Chewing pain, DPC, anxiety, depression, sleep quality and impact of oral health on QoL were measured. One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson's Chi-square test and eta-square effect size were used to data analysis. Results TMD-J showed less subjective pain than TMD-M (p = 0.014) and TMD-MJ (p = 0.021).TMD-J also presented greater height (p = 0.022) and body mass (p = 0.041) than the TMD-MJ and TMD-M, respectively. The DPC evaluation with sensory organization test 1 (SOT1, open eyes, platform and cabin fixed) in the medio-lateral direction (ML) was higher (p = 0.027) for TMD-J than TMD-M. TMD-MJ had a higher level of depression (p = 0.041) than TMD-J, and a greater impact of oral health on QoL (p = 0.035) than TMD-M. Conclusion Masticatory pain was lower in the TMD-J. There was a reduction in DPC in the ML of SOT1 in the TMD-J owing to the greater height of the patients in this group. The TMD-MJ had higher levels of depression and negative impact of oral health. In general, poor oral health reduces QoL in patients with TMD.