Relationship between self-reported pain, pain threshold, pain catastrophization and quality of life in patients with TMD

• Published in: Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. e23 - e31
• Main Authors: Januzzi, Marcella-Santos, Neto, Clóvis-Lamartine-de Moraes-Melo, Moreno, Amália, Dos Santos, Emerson-Gomes, de Caxias, Fernanda-Pereira, da Silva, Emily-Vivianne-Freitas, de Athayde, Flávia-Florêncio, Volce, Augusto-Henrique-de Souza, Rodrigues, Alana-Semenzin, Dela Líbera, Juliana, Turcio, Karina-Helga-Leal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Spain Medicina Oral S.L 01-01-2023
• ISSN: 1989-5488; 1989-5488
• DOI: 10.4317/jced.59480

The aim of this study was to verify if there is a relationship between self-reported pain, PPT (pressure pain threshold) of the masseter, temporal and sternocleidomastoid muscles, pain catastrophizing and quality of life in patients with TMD (temporomandibular disorder) of muscular origin.
Ninety-seven patients with muscular TMD (TMD group) and 97 asymptomatic (control group) were included in the study. The evaluation methods used were: 1) Self-reported pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for questions 7, 8 and 9 of the RDC/TMD Axis I questionnaire; 2) The PPT assessment was performed using a digital algometer on the masseter, temporal, and sternocleidomastoid muscles (both sides); 3) Pain catastrophizing was assessed using the PCS (Pain Catastrophizing Scale); and 4) Oral health-related quality of life was assessed using the OHIP-14 (Oral Healthy Impact Profile-14). Data were submitted to Spearman correlation and logistic regression (
<0.05).
There were significant positive correlations between self-reported pain (VAS-Q7, VAS-Q8 and VAS-Q9), pain catastrophizing (PCS-Helplessness, PCS-Magnification, PCS-Rumination and PCS-Total) and quality of life (OHIP-14) (
<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation of self-reported pain (VAS-Q8) with PPT of the temporal (left) and sternocleidomastoid (both sides) (
<0.05). The rumination and magnification domains increased the chance of high self-reported pain in all situations (VAS-Q7, VAS-Q8 and VAS-Q9) (
<0.05). The helplessness domain only increased the chance of high self-reported pain for VAS-Q8 (
<0.05). The presence of TMD of muscular origin, high self-reported pain (VAS-Q7) or pain catastrophizing increased the chance of a low quality of life in relation to the control group (
<0.05). In addition, the reduction in sternocleidomastoid PPT increased the chance of poor quality of life (
<0.05).
Myofascial pain syndromes, pain catastrophizing, myalgia, quality of life, surveys and questionnaires, temporomandibular joint disorders.