A comparative analysis of older patients with chewing difficulties due to temporomandibular disorders and tooth loss

Chewing difficulty can contribute to psychological stress, which reduces the quality of life for older adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the severity of masticatory discomfort, stress response, and sleep disturbance in older patients experiencing masticatory discomfort due to tooth loss or temporomandibular disorders (TMD), to find the further treatment direction for these patients. A total of 392 patients aged 50 years and older with mastication difficulties were analyzed. Two group of patients, those seeking prosthetic treatment due to tooth loss (n = 193) and those who were referred due to TMD-related pain discomfort (n = 199), were identified. Numeric rating scale (NRS), stress response inventory (SRI), and insomnia severity index (ISI) were used as tools to measure patients' subjective chewing discomfort, stress response, and sleep status. Chewing discomfort and age were found to be much higher in the prosthetic group than in the TMD group. The TMD group had significantly higher scores in five SRI parameters (tension, anger, depression, fatigue, and frustration) as well as total score and a higher percentage of clinical insomnia compared to prosthetic patients. Since the number of remaining teeth has a significant impact on the masticatory discomfort severity, restoring the occlusion through prosthodontic treatment is important to improve masticatory function. In patients with TMD, it is necessary to assess stress response and sleep quality, and a multidisciplinary treatment approach may be necessary to effectively address masticatory discomfort.