Yap A U, Dewi N L, Marpaung C. Comorbidities between temporomandibular disorders and somatization in young adults: Exploring links with personality, emotional, and sleep disturbances. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2024; DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2024.01.017.

CBT and mindfulness therapy may be beneficial.

Temporomandibular joint disease (TMD) and somatisation have been related to sleep disturbances and personality traits such as neuroticism. Using validated surveys to ascertain TMD, health, depression and anxiety and sleep disorders, 365 participants (mean age 22.5 years; 85.8% female) submitted completed responses. Of those with TMD, 40.3% exhibited somatisation. Of those without TMD, 19.5% exhibited somatisation. Irrespective of the presence of TMD, those with somatisation exhibited worse sleep quality and reported greater anxiety and stress than those without somatisation.

The authors suggest that TMDs are ‘a form of functional/somatic sensitisation syndromes and explain the high frequencies of concomitant chronic pain conditions in TMD patients' and that ‘sleep impairments associated with TMD are influenced largely by somatisation and emotional disturbances.'