Coronavirus Lockdown as a Major Life Stressor: Does It Affect TMD Symptoms?

Temporomandibular disorders are multi-factorial conditions that are caused by both
physical and psychological factors. It has been well established that stress triggers or worsens TMDs.
This paper looks to present early research, still unfolding, on the relationship between COVID-19
as a major life stressor and TMDs. The main aims of this study were to: investigate the presence
of symptoms related to TMDs and the time of onset and the worsening of painful symptoms in
relation to the changes in social life imposed by the coronavirus pandemic; and to evaluate the
perception of COVID-19 as a major stressful event in subjects who report worsening of painful TMD
symptoms. One hundred and eighty-two subjects answered questionnaires—Axis II of the RDC/TMD,
the PSS, and specific items about coronavirus as a stressful event—during the lockdown period for
COVID-19 in Italy to evaluate the presence of reported symptoms of TMD and the level of depression,
somatization, and stress perceived. The results showed that 40.7% of subjects complained about TMD
symptoms in the past month. Regarding the time of onset, 60.8% of them reported that facial pain
started in the last three months, while 51.4% of these subjects reported that their symptoms worsened
in the last month and were related to the aggravation of pain due to the coronavirus lockdown as a
major life event and to the stress experienced. The results of this study seem to support the hypothesis
that stress during the pandemic lockdown influenced the onset of temporomandibular joint disorders
and facial pain, albeit with individual responses.