Anxiety and malocclusion are associated with temporomandibular disorders in adolescents diagnosed by RDC/TMD. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) is a multifactorial condition, which could be associated to occlusal and psychological factors, such as anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate if anxiety and malocclusion are associated with the prevalence of TMD in adolescents.

METHODS: To ensure a population-based representative sample, 934 adolescents aged 10 to 14 years old from Curitiba-PR, Brazil were randomly selected and examined according to Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) and malocclusion by a single-calibrated examiner (Kappa > 0.80). Anxiety was assessed according to trait anxiety (STAI-T), categorised as high, moderate and low levels. For occlusal exam, it was considered: Angel's molar relationship, anterior and posterior crossbite, excessive overjet, open and deep bite. The associations were analysed by the crude and adjusted prevalence ration (RPa ) of TMJ, calculated by a Poisson multivariate regression with robust variance (α = 0.05).

RESULTS: The prevalence of at least one type of malocclusion was found in 52.3%. Anxiety was found in high level (12.2%), moderate (70.4%) and low (17.5%). Presence of high anxiety was significantly associated with the prevalence of TMD symptoms (RPa  = 4.06, P < 0.001), as well as the prevalence of myofascial pain (RPa  = 24.78; P < 0.001) and prevalence of disc displacement with reduction (RPa  = 11.08, P < 0.001). Adolescents Class II had higher prevalence of myofascial pain (Class II RPa  = 1.73; P < 0.015) than adolescents Class I. Adolescents Class III presented higher prevalence of myofascial pain (PRa 2.53; P = 0.004) than adolescents Class I.

CONCLUSION: Anxiety is strongly associated with TMD in adolescents. Presence of Class II or III is associated with higher prevalence of myofascial pain in adolescentsPLESAE check and approve the edit made in the article title.