ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL STATE, KINESIOPHOBIA AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH TEMPO-MANDULAR JOINT DYSFUNCTION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM
Authors: Hohol R. V. , Polataiko Yu. A. , Grytsulyak B. V. 
Published: January 2025

Purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed physical therapy program based on the dynamics of indicators of psycho-emotional state, kinesiophobia and quality of life of patients with pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint.
Material. 100 people were examined. The comparison group consisted of 35 people without burdened dental status. Group 1 consisted of 33 people with painful dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint, whose symptoms were corrected by wearing individual splints on the lower jaw. Group 2 consisted of 32 individuals with temporomandibular joint pain dysfunction who wore individual splints and underwent a three-month physical therapy program. It included therapeutic exercises with the OraStretch® Press System, exercises for the face, neck, cervical region, back, breathing exercises, relaxation exercises; massage course; electromyostimulation of the muscles of the maxillofacial region; proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation of masticatory muscles, neck muscles; kinesiological taping; progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson. The result was evaluated according to the dynamics of indicators of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for Temporomandibular Disorders, Oral Health Impact Profile, SF-36.
Results. In patients with pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint, psychoemotional suppression was determined at the level of subclinical levels of anxiety and depression (according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), kinesiophobia associated with jaw movements (according to the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for Temporomandibular Disorders), the negative impact of dental dysfunction on quality of life (according to Oral Health Impact Profile), impaired quality of life (according to SF-36). The physical therapy program demonstrated a statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) of the studied indicators compared to the initial data and the results of the group that corrected the temporomandibular joint dysfunction only with individual splints. The psychoemotional status of group 1 individuals did not change during the re-examination (according to the HADS). Among the representatives of group 2, the improvement on the scale of anxiety was 37.8%, depression - 34.3% (p<0.05), moving to the level of safe indicators. A statistically significant decrease in the level of kinesiophobia according to the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for Temporomandibular Disorders in group 1 was 27.1%, in group 2 - 45.9% (p<0.05). The overall score of Oral Health Impact Profile in patients of group 1 improved by 21.6%, group 2 – by 53.2% (p<0.05).
Quality of life improved according to the SF-36 scale in both studied groups, confirming the benefits of using the physical therapy program: according to the physical function scale in people of group 1 - by 13.8%, in group 2 - by 30.5%, according to the bodily pain scale - respectively by 11.5% and 20.0%, by the general health scale – by 15.0% and 19.0%, by the vitality scale – by 7.9% and 28.5%, by the social function scale – by 12.4% and 26.4%, by the role emotional scale – by 11.9% and 25.9%, by the mental health scale – by 18.2% and 26.6%.
Conclusions. Means of physical therapy improve the effectiveness of dental orthopedic interventions, therefore, it is advisable to use them to improve the psycho-emotional state, kinesiophobia in order to improve the quality of life in patients with pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint.