Chronic myofascial pain, disk displacement with reduction and psychosocial factors in Finnish non‐patients

Abstract

This study aimed to determine chronic groups of myofascial pain and chronic disk displacement with reduction over a 1‐year period, and to study the relationship between psychological status and these chronic subgroups of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in non‐patients. A total of 211 subjects (males 47%, mean age 46 years; standard deviation 6) attended examinations in 1999 and 2000 performed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). Chronic myofascial pain was found in 7% and chronic disk displacement with reduction in 11% of subjects; new diagnoses were made in only 4% and 1% of the subjects, respectively. An increase in the level of somatization by 1 step increased the probability of having chronic myofascial pain by over 3 times (P = 0.006). Myofascial pain and disk displacement with reduction seem to be relatively common and fluctuating in nature in non‐patients. As somatization associated significantly with myofascial pain, this should be borne in mind in the management of TMD. The results strengthen the rationale of the biopsychosocial orientation in health care.