title: Temporomandibular disorder pain is related to the general disposition to be anxious.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether trait anxiety as a person's general disposition to be anxious is a risk factor for temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 320 adult TMD patients with at least one pain-related TMD diagnosis according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) were included in the study. Subjects from the general population without pain-related TMD were used as controls (n = 888). All study participants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The association between the level of trait anxiety (STAI-Trait scores) and case-control status (patients diagnosed with pain-related TMD and controls) was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of trait anxiety was associated with the subject status (case vs control). A one-point increase in STAI-Trait sum scores (range: 20 to 80) was related to an increase of the odds for pain-related TMD by the factor 1.04 (CI: 1.02-1.05; P < .001). Severe trait anxiety (above the 90th percentile of general-population subjects) doubled the odds (OR: 2.05; CI: 1.42-2.98; P < .001). Analyses adjusted for age, gender, and level of education did not change the results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trait anxiety is significantly associated with diagnoses of TMD pain.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Reissmann
authors.forename: Mike T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Hartwig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seedorf
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doering
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schierz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D019224:Temporomandibular Joint Disc / Q000473:pathology; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult