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Aim: To compare the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of painful and non-painful Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), and on the prevalence of awake and sleep bruxism (AB, SB) : prior to the pandemic (pre-COV), during the lockdown periods (during-COV) and after the pandemic subsided, and social restrictions were abolished (post-COVR).
Methods: The study population included a total of 539 adult patients (108 in the pre-COV group, 180 in the during-COV group and 251 in the post-COVR group), who arrived for a routine dental treatment between October 2018 and January 2023 and underwent complete anamnesis and examination according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. SB and/or AB definition depended upon subjects’ self-report (possible SB, possible AB).
Results: Logistic regression analyses were conducted to establish the impact of time and gender on the prospects of painful TMD, non-painful TMD, SB and AB. The odds of subjects 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 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 regarding 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.
