Prevalence of Signs and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorder in Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Objective: To compare the prevalence of signs and symptoms of TMD in PTSD and non-PTSD matched control patients using RDC/ TMD protocol. Material and Methods: The study sample consisted of 30 patients with PTSD and 30 patients without PTSD. Data was collected using the Croatian versions of the RDC/ TMD protocol. Data were analyzed using PASW Statistics 18.0. The significance of the differences between groups (PTSD patients and control group) was tested using Chi-Square test, Independent Samples test and Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A comparison of the frequency of individual symptoms in both groups revealed significant differences in the following symptoms: pain in face, jaw, temple, in front of the ear or in the ear in the past month; jaw locking or catching; jaw clicking or popping; jaw grinding noise; jaw aching or stiffness in the morning; noises or ringing in the ears; uncomfortable or unusual bite; headaches or migraines during the last six months. Independent Samples test revealed a statistically significant difference between subjects with / without PTSD for the maximum assisted opening (p < 0.024) and measurement of the opening click on the left side (p < 0.014). Only in the posterior attachment on the left side (inside the ear), statistically significant difference in pain between patients with PTSD and without PTSD was detected (p < 0.008). Conclusion: There are significant differences between PTSD patients and control group in terms of RDC/ TMD protocol.