Abstract
Objectives:We generated a structural model that on the basis of which we hypothesized that psychosocial factors and habitual behavior influence temporomandibular disorders-related pain, and we conducted a questionnaire survey in a working population to examine this hypothesis.
Methods:Our study population was composed of 2203 individuals who worked for a single company. The subjects were asked to answer 10 questions from a questionnaire concerning temporomandibular disorders, psychosocial factors (stress, anxious mood, depressed mood, and fatigue), tooth contacting habit, and sleep bruxism-related morning symptoms by using a 5-point numeric rating scale. Our analysis consisted of 2 separate phases. First, all the variables of the descriptor were divided into parts by using the exploratory data analysis. Second, this factorial structure was verified by confirmatory data analysis with structural equation modelling.
Results:Of the 2203 employees, 362 (16.4%) were considered to have temporomandibular disorders-related symptoms. The results showed that habitual behavioral factors directly caused temporomandibular disorders-related pain and that psychosocial factors indirectly influenced temporomandibular disorders-related pain via habitual behavioral factors.
Conclusions:The relationship between temporomandibular disorders-related pain and contributing factors such as psychosocial and habitual behavioral factors was reviewed using structural equation modelling in a working population. Our results showed that psychosocial factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue lead to the development of habitual behaviors such as sleep bruxism and tooth contacting habit and that habitual behaviors lead to the development of temporomandibular disorders-related pain.
