Association between depression and temporomandibular dysfunction in adults - a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To critically evaluate the literature and answer the question: "Is there an association between depression and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in adults?"

Methods: The personalized search strategy was applied to PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Articles were selected in two stages according to the eligibility criteria. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tool was used to analyze the risk of bias according to the type of study.

Results: The included articles presented a moderate risk of bias. Based on the studies, individuals with TMD have higher levels of depression compared to the control group. There is also a direct association in that individuals with depression are more susceptible to developing TMD.

Conclusion: There is a probable association between depression and TMD in adults. However, more studies with high methodological quality are needed to confirm this finding.

Keywords: Temporomandibular disorder; depression; systematic review.