According to the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis, psychological disorders are common in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients who seek therapeutic care. Investigators aimed to determine the frequency of psychiatric issues in TMD patients. Databases such as PsycINFO, Scopus, and PubMed/MEDLINE were utilized to explore relevant literature.

Clinical observational studies on depression and somatization in individuals with TMD diagnosed using the Diagnostic Research for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) criteria in the disc, articular, and muscle diseases were incorporated. For the evidence synthesis, a descriptive analysis of the incorporated studies and a meta-analysis for prevalence data was conducted. Out of 2320, 22 studies were incorporated in the analysis. The general prevalence of depression and moderate-to-severe somatization in TMD patients is depicted in Table 1:

The average overall depression score was assessed at 0.92, indicating moderate depression. The overall average score for somatization was calculated to be 1.09, indicating severe somatization. All assessments revealed significant heterogeneity (I2>90%). According to the quality analysis, 80.9% of the incorporated studies had a low-moderate risk of bias. To conclude, psychological issues are highly prevalent in TMD patients seeking therapeutic care.