Neuroscience contributes to the understanding of the neurobiology of temporomandibular disorders associated with stress and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE

This review proposes a neurobiological model for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) associated with stress and anxiety.

METHODS

An electronic search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Articles published up to 2020 were selected. The search terms were the following: temporomandibular disorders, anxiety, stress, neurobiology of stress and anxiety, and orofacial pain.

RESULTS

In total, there were 100 studies, which presented a total of 10 different analyses. The results were described, demonstrating the type of analysis that was performed on each item analyzed for a better understanding of the context.

CONCLUSION

The conclusion is that the interactions between the masticatory system, temporomandibular joints (TMJs), and stomatognathic apparatus with "stress neuromatrix," "pain neuromatrix," "limbic system," and "neuroimmunoendocrine system" would produce the range of changes observed in neural connectivity and the diversity of symptoms presented in TMD.