The Prevalence of Comorbid Symptoms of Central Sensitization Syndrome Among Three Different Groups of Temporomandibular Disorder Patients

Abstract

Symptoms of central sensitization syndrome (CSS) were evaluated among three different groups of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. Additionally, TMD group differences in pain and pain-related disability were assessed, as well as emotional distress. Participants were 250 patients with symptoms of acute TMD, recruited from dental clinics within a major metropolitan area. Sequential regressions and multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted in order to make group comparisons. Those with a TMD Muscle Disorder (ie, myofacial TMD [m-TMD]) and those with more than one TMD diagnosis had the most symptoms of CSS and higher reports of pain and pain-related disability. Moreover, emotional distress accounted for a substantial amount of the variance for physical symptoms and mediated all TMD comparisons. Myofacial TMD is characterized by a high degree of comorbidity of symptoms of CSS and associated emotional distress.