Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorder and Orofacial Pain in Unified Health System in Brazil

Objective: To evaluate the severity of pain in patients treated in the specialized care network for temporomandibular disorders-related orofacial pain of Unified Health System (SUS) in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and characterize orofacial pain based on the user profile, clinical aspects, and treatments performed. Material and Methods: Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders of patients were evaluated at the Dental Specialty Center of Venda Nova region. Demographic data and clinical variables were collected. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using the chi-square (P < 0.05) and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The sample consisted of 169 users, 132 (78.1%) females, with a mean age of 43 (± 15.2) years. The most common reasons for referral were pain (40.5%), followed by bruxism (25.6%) and temporomandibular joint disorders (24.4%). One hundred twenty-one (71.6%) participants reported pain, of which 46.2% had mild/moderate pain and 25.4% had severe pain. The most frequently reported diagnosis was disc displacement with reduction (DDR) (30.2%) followed by bruxism (24.9%). The most indicated treatment was cognitive behavioral therapy (95.3%) followed by an intra-occlusal splint (IOS) (54.4%). Conclusion: According to the results, women had a higher prevalence of pain, but no association was found between comorbidities, age, and social vulnerability index.