EVALUATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DYSFUNCTION IN THE QUARANTINE PERIOD AS A COVID-19 CONTROL MEASURE: Case Study

Abstract

Introduction: The world health organization in March 2020, considered about coronavirus infection, a public health emergency and in April recognized it as a pandemic. COVID-19 is highly infectious, with transmission mainly through saliva droplets and contaminated surfaces. Because there is no vaccine or effective treatment, the best way to prevent infection is through social distance and the use of masks. Quarantine has been used as a public health measure to contain or minimize the spread of coronavirus in several countries, demonstrating a positive role in the prevention and control of the epidemic. However, the negative psychological impact was observed in the general population. Psychosocial factors contribute to the establishment of some diseases, such as temporomandibular disorders (TMD), which have a complex and multifactorial etiology. Among TMD risk factors, biopsychosocial factors must be considered both in the etiology and in the triggering of signs and symptoms. Thus, our objective was to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of anxiety, stress and orofacial pain in desire with and without TMD. Methods: Research participants were divided into two groups: experimental group (EG) patients with TMD and control group (CG), without TMD. The Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Oral Analog Scale were used in this study. Results: The association between variables analyzed using Pearson's correlation was statistically significant (p-value ≤ α) for BAI and PSS with a TMD. Conclusion: Although the COVID 19 pandemic has had a psychological impact on the general population, patients with TMD have higher levels of anxiety and stress than the control group.