Sleep analysis results of portable polysomnography in patients with acute and chronic temporomandibular disorder

Author(s): Yeon-Hee Lee and Q-Schick Auh

Objective: This study aimed to investigate portable polysomnography (PSG)-based 'sleep' and pre-diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in acute temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and patients with chronic TMD.

Methods: Randomly selected 25 patients with acute TMD (mean age, 42.58 ± 18.77 years; 14 females) and 26 age-and sex-matched patients with chronic TMD (mean age, 49.24 ± 17.52 years, 19 females) were enrolled.

Results: The eight psychological subscales of SCL-90R had significantly higher values in the chronic TMD group than in the acute TMD group (all p < 0.05). There was no significant group difference in the respiratory event index examined using a portable PSG. OSA was observed in 57.7% in acute TMD, and 68.0% in chronic TMD, respectively. From the multiple regression analysis, palpation index was the strongest predictor of pre-diagnosis of OSA (OR = 17.550). Among the contributing factors for TMD, psychological stress (OR = 12.226), self-reported sleep problems (OR = 10.222), and above-average value of DEP (OR = 1.443) were followed.

Conclusion: Patients with chronic TMD were psychologically more vulnerable than those with acute TMD, and the existence of subjectively perceived sleep problems or objective sleep indices examined by portable PSG could affect TMD symptom severity in different ways.