Exploring post-traumatic stress among patients at a clinic for orofacial pain and dysfunction

Objective: To explore the associations between traumatic events and post-traumatic stress on the one hand, and painful TMD, awake bruxism and sleep bruxism on the other. Methods: At a clinic for Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, 701 patients completed self-report screening questionnaires between May 2023 and November 2024. On the basis of these data, we calculated descriptive characteristics, including the prevalence of PTSD. We tested our hypotheses using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses and Spearman's correlations and partial correlations. Results: The prevalence of PTSD (9.0 %) was higher (p < .001) than the general population's prevalence (3.8 %). The presence of PTSD was associated with the presence of painful TMD and awake bruxism. When no PTSD was present, there was no association between the three orofacial conditions and the experience of a traumatic event. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were significantly correlated to awake bruxism. Conclusion: The presence of PTSD in this clinical sample was associated with the presence of painful TMD and awake bruxism. The presence of a reported potentially traumatic event without PTSD was not associated with painful TMD or awake bruxism. Finally, when examining symptom severity, the severity of awake bruxism was correlated to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Clinical Relevance: Increased knowledge about the role of post-traumatic stress in the aetiology of these orofacial conditions may enable tailoring treatment to these specific patient groups, and thus to increase the likelihood of treatment success.