Impact of temporomandibular disorders on quality of life

Abstract

Introduction: Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) may have a major impact on quality of life. Objective: Thus, this integrative review assessed the impact of TMD on quality of life. Method: An electronic and manual search was conducted to identify studies that evaluated the impact of TMD on an individual’s quality of life. After the inclusion and exclusion criteria were met, seven articles were included and evaluated according to the quality of evidence using the Newcastle-Ottawa assessment. Results: The selected studies used different instruments to diagnose temporomandibular joint disorders and measure the quality of life. Only three studies used the RDC/TMD. As for quality of life, the most used instrument was the SF-36, followed by Br-MPQ and WHOQOL-Bref. Conclusion: The findings show that there is a negative impact of temporomandibular dysfunction on quality of life, especially regarding its severity. However, further studies are needed to confirm these results.