PSYCHOMETRICS IN TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS - AN OVERVIEW

The purpose of this paper is to review the methods and results of psyc hometric testings in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) during the past decade. Assessments of psychologic and behavioral factors have been p erformed for various reasons. The results are often ambiguous and comp arisons troublesome. No encompassing psychologic TMD profile has been identified, but small elevations in anxiety, depression, somatization, and stress are often reported; they may be cause or effect. Subcatego rization of the patients into diagnostic subgroups suggests that psych ologic differences exist but may be small; myogenic patients may have more psychologic difficulties than 'joint' patients. More distinct, ro bust psychologic subsets of patients, unrelated to the structural diag nosis, have been identified by means of clustering techniques. Irrespe ctive of clinical signs, a certain proportion of the patients are psyc hologically distressed, whereas others easily adapt to the pain and dy sfunction. No single variable has been identified that can predict out come OT compliance. Several psychometric instruments are described.