2014 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 221-225
We investigated the relationship between pain intensity and psychosocial characteristics in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Participants with painful TMD, according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD), were recruited from our clinic and classified into six age groups: 15 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 to 85 years (Groups A through F, respectively). Self-reported present pain intensity and worst pain intensity during the past 6 months were ascertained using a numeric rating scale (0 to 10). Depression and somatization scores were evaluated using the RDC/TMD axis II questionnaire. Among women, worst pain intensity was significantly lower in Groups E and F than in Groups B and C (P < 0.05). In Groups A, C, and D, depression scores were significantly higher in women than in men (P < 0.05). Among women, depression score was significantly lower in Group F than in Groups A through C (P < 0.05). In Groups A through D, somatization scores were significantly higher for women than for men (P < 0.05). Depression score and TMD symptom severity appear to decrease with age in women. (J Oral Sci 56, 221-225, 2014)
