Association of temporomandibular disorder symptoms with anxiety and depression in Portuguese college students

Abstract

We investigated the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and its association with anxiety and depression among 1,493 Portuguese college students (age 17-69 years) at Piaget Institute. The assessment instruments were the Fonseca Anamnestic Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. TMD was present in 633 (42.4%) students, and anxiety or depression was present in 456 (30.5%) students. Regarding the association of TMD with anxiety and depression, 280 of the 633 students (61.4%) with TMD symptoms also had signs of anxiety or depression (P < 0.001). As compared with men, women had an odds ratio of 1.9 (95% confidence interval: 1.53-2.46; P < 0.001) for TMD. As compared with students without signs of anxiety or depression, students with such signs had an odds ratio of 3.1 (95% confidence interval: 2.42-3.84; P < 0.001) for TMD. College students from various fields of study and regions of Portugal had a high prevalence of TMD, which was significantly associated with anxiety and depression.