Anxiety in craniomandibular disorders and bruxing behavior patients: The role of pain in single and multiple sites and severity of bruxing behavior. Part I

Abstract

Objective: To assess the level of anxiety in patients with bruxing behavior and craniomandibular disorders (CMD). Methods: We evaluated 108 patients with bruxism and CMD, 20 patients with mild bruxism, 32 with moderate, 36 with severe and 20 extreme. We used the Test of Manifested Anxiety of Taylor (TMAS), clinical examination, a questionnaire of clinical-epidemiological data and the criteria for CMD: clinical examination, palpation of muscle and joints, the Visual Analogue Scale for pain. We also introduced an empirical scale to classify the level of anxiety as absent or mild, moderate, severe and very severe. Results: The level of anxiety increased from the mild to the moderate, severe, and extreme bruxing groups but the difference was only significant from the severe to the other three groups of bruxers (p <0.05). The level of pain also increased from the mild to the extreme group of bruxers but the difference was not statistically significant. When we analyzed the site of pain, there were differences but not significant (p><0.07). The correlation’s painful sites anxiety, severity of bruxing behavior - anxiety, and severity of bruxism number of painful sites, were significant (p><0.02, p><0.05, and p><0.0001, respectively). Conclusion: Using our empirical criteria, levels of moderate and severe anxiety predominated in the group of 108 CMD and bruxing behavior patients. >