Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2024 Jul 12:22:249-256.
doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b5569645.

Lifespan of Splints in a Sample of German Soldiers Hospitalised with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Combination with Sleep Bruxism and Painful Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD)

Felix Wörner, Thomas Eger, Ursula Simon, Alexander Becker, Anne Wolowski
Observational Study

Lifespan of Splints in a Sample of German Soldiers Hospitalised with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Combination with Sleep Bruxism and Painful Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD)

Felix Wörner et al. Oral Health Prev Dent. .

Abstract

Purpose: This cross-sectional longitudinal observational study aimed to clarify the question of whether painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in psychiatrically confirmed patients hospitalised for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapy after using splint therapy (ST) show long-term therapeutic effects in the case of functional disorders.

Materials and methods: One hundred fifty-three (153) inpatients (123 male and 20 female soldiers, age 35.8 ± 9.2 years, 26.6 ± 2.2 teeth) with confirmed PTSD (Impact of Event Scale - Revised ≥33), grade 3 to 4 chronic pain according to von Korff's Chronic Pain Scale and the research diagnostic criteria of painful TMD (RDC-TMD) were recorded. All participants received a maxillary occlusal splint that was worn at night. Control check-ups of the therapeutic effect of the splint were conducted for up to 9 years during psychiatric follow-ups.

Results: TMD pain worsened in 22 (14.4%) patients within the first 6 weeks and led to the removal of the splint. The pain intensity (PI) at BL was reported to be a mean of VAS 7.7 ± 1.1. Six weeks after ST (n = 131), the average PI was recorded as VAS 2.6 ± 1.3. Based on the last examination date of all subjects, the average PI was recorded as 0.7 ± 0.9. Seventy-two (72) patients used a second stabilisation splint in the maxilla after 14.4 ± 15.7 months, and 38 patients used between 3 and 8 splints during their psychiatric and dental treatment time (33.7 ± 29.8 months).

Conclusion: The presented data shows that therapeutic pain reduction remained valid in the long term despite continued PTSD. The lifespan of a splint seems to be dependent on individual factors. Long-term splint therapy appears to be accepted by the majority of patients with PTSD and painful TMD.

Keywords: PTSD; TMD; bruxism; splint therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Compliance with splint therapy in PTSD patients with TMD.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Number and type of last TMD splint used (n = 273 splints in 131 patients) within the hospitalised PTSD treatment period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Afari N, Wen Y, Buchwald D, Goldberg J, Plesh O. Are post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and temporomandibular pain associated? Findings from a community-based twin registry. J Orofac Pain. 2008;22:41–49. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al-Khudhairy MW, Al-Mutairi A, Al Mazyad B, Al Yousef S, Hatab Alanazi S. The association between post-traumatic stress disorder and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Cureus. 2022;14:e31896. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aranha RLB, Martins RC, de Aguilar DR, Morend-Drada JA, Sohn W, Martins SS. Biomed Res Int 2021; 2021. Association between stress at work and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review; pp. 1–12. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bisson JI. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Occup Med. 2007;57:399–403. - PubMed
    1. Bjorndal AM, Henderson WG, Skidmore AE, Kellner FH. Anatomic measurements of human teeth extracted from males between the ages of 17 and 21 years. Oral Surg. 1974;38:791–803. - PubMed

Publication types