Cognitive and Orofacial Intersections: prevalence of temporomandibular disorders and bruxism in individuals with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Despite emerging evidence pointing to a comorbidity between temporomandibular disorders (TMD), bruxism, and neuropsychiatric conditions such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), limited studies have explored this relationship in adult populations. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of painful TMD and self-reported bruxism in adults with highly consistent ADHD symptoms.

METHODOLOGY: In total, 90 adult participants were divided into two groups based on the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Screener, G1: individuals with highly consistent ADHD symptomatology (n=60), and G2: controls (n=30). All participants completed validated instruments assessing TMD (TMD Pain Screener), self-reported bruxism (OBC), anxiety (GAD-7), somatization (PHQ-15), perceived stress (PSS), sleep quality (PSQI), pain hypervigilance (PVAQ), and jaw function (JFLS-8). The chi-square test, adjusted using Bonferroni criteria for multiple comparisons, and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used.

RESULTS: A higher prevalence of women (p=0.006), South Americans (p=0.008), and individuals with low/lower middle income (p=0.0001) was found in G1. G1 showed a significantly higher prevalence of painful TMD (p=0.001) and awake bruxism (p=0.013) compared to G2. Participants in G1 also exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety, somatization, stress, poor sleep quality, pain hypervigilance, and jaw limitation (p<0.05). No significant differences in sleep bruxism were found between groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a potential behavioral and emotional vulnerability to orofacial disorders in adults with highly consistent ADHD symptoms.