COVID-19 and Temporomandibular Disorders -Comparison of 3 Time Periods

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of the pandemic on painful and non-painful TMD in men and women, at three consecutive time periods: before the pandemic (pre-COVID), during the lockdown periods (during-COVID) and after the pandemic subsided and all social restrictions were abolished (post-COVID).
Methods: A total of 587 adult patients (108 in the pre-COVID group, 180 in the during-COVID group and 252 in the post-COVID group), who arrived for a routine dental treatment at the School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, between October 2018 and January 2023 were evaluated according to Axis I diagnosis of the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). Neither of the subjects arrived for treatment with a specific complaint referring to TMD. Each patient received a DC/TMD Axis I diagnosis as follows: (i) Painful TMD (defined by the presence of at least one of the following - local myalgia, myofascial pain with referral, arthralgia, or headache attributed to TMD); (ii) Non painful TMD (defined by the presence of disc displacement with/without reduction, degenerative joint disorders and/or dislocation).
Results: Logistic regression analyses showed that the odds of subjects to be diagnosed with painful TMD in the post-COVID period were 3.3 times higher than pre-COVID period (95% C.I. 1.438-7.585). The odds of subjects to be diagnosed with non-painful TMD during-COVID were 4.0 times higher than at the pre-COVID era (95% C.I. 1.332-12.542). The odds of female subjects to be diagnosed with either painful or non-painful TMD were 3.7- 4.4 times higher, compared to males.
Conclusions: Results indicate that with regard to TMD the adverse effects of the pandemic persist also after COVID-19 subsides and the restrictions caused by it are abolished. Apparently, during the pandemic females were affected more seriously by painful and non-painful TMD than males.