Clinical Manifestation of Academic Stress in Temporomandibular Joints Disorders (TMDs) among Undergraduate Dental Students of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Abstract

Objectives: Numerous studies have indicated that academic stress is associated with detrimental impacts on mental well-being among undergraduate students. Here, we examined the clinical manifestations of the temporomandibular disorder (TMD) of perceived academic stress among dental students in Universiti Teknologi MARA. Methods: 27 TMD-diagnosed students with perceived academic stress were examined for the clinical manifestations of temporomandibular disorder. Research Diagnostic Criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) a widely acceptable international TMD diagnostic tool was applied for this examination. RDC/TMD contains axis I and II. Statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher exact test using SPSS 20.0. The significance level was set at P≤0.05. Result: Regardless of the year of study, out of the 27 TMD-diagnosed students, 19 students (9.4%) had disk displacements with reduction, 8 students (3.9%) had TMJ arthralgia (n=7) and arthrosis (n=1), and 3 TMD patients (1.5%) presented myofascial pain (n=2) with limited jaw opening (n=1). Conclusion: Moderate to severe academic-related stressors may have contributed to the pathophysiological complications of TMD. Further research is needed to understand the pathophysiological mechanism of academic stressors in TMD development and progression.