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How may stressful experiences contribute to the development of temporomandibular disorders?

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Abstract

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) comprise the most common cause of chronic facial pain conditions, and they are often associated with somatic and psychological complaints including fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. For many health professionals, the subjectivity of pain experience is frequently neglected even when the clinic does not find any plausible biologic explanation for the pain. This strictly biomedical vision of pain cannot be justified scientifically. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate, by original articles from the literature and recent studies conducted in our own laboratory, the biological processes by which psychological stress can be translated into the sensation of pain and contribute to the development of TMD. The role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, the serotoninergic and opioid systems in the pathogenesis of facial pain is exposed, including possible future therapeutic approaches. It is hoped that knowledge from apparently disparate fields of dentistry, integrated into a multidisciplinary clinical approach to TMD, will improve diagnosis and treatment for this condition through a clinical practice supported by scientific knowledge.

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Acknowledgements

The authors had the following contributions in the completion of this manuscript: Gustavo Hauber Gameiro (Doctor in Physiology/Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas)—literature review, data organization, and technical assistance; Annicele da Silva Andrade (Post-Graduation Student/Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas)—literature review and manuscript preparation; Darcy Flávio Nouer (Doctor in Orthodontics/Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas)—literature review and data organization; and Maria Cecília Ferraz de Arruda Veiga (Doctor in Physiology/Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas)—literature review, data organization, and statistical analysis.

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  1. Department of Orthodontics, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas—Unicamp, Av. Limeira 901 C.P. 52, CEP 13414-900, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Gustavo Hauber Gameiro & Darcy Flávio Nouer

  2. Laboratory of Orofacial Pain, Department of Physiology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas—Unicamp, Piracicaba, Brazil

    Annicele da Silva Andrade & Maria Cecília Ferraz de Arruda Veiga

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  1. Gustavo Hauber Gameiro
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Correspondence to Gustavo Hauber Gameiro.

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Gameiro, G.H., da Silva Andrade, A., Nouer, D.F. et al. How may stressful experiences contribute to the development of temporomandibular disorders?. Clin Oral Invest 10, 261–268 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-006-0064-1

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