Temporomandibular disorder symptoms in nursing professionals: Interrelationships with psychological distress, somatic burden, and musculoskeletal complaints

Objectives This study estimated the prevalence of TMD symptoms among Southeast Asian nurses, examined their associations with psychological, somatic, musculoskeletal symptoms, and identified biopsychosocial factors related to TMD and musculoskeletal symptom burden.Methods A cross-sectional study of 438 nurses from two hospitals collected sociodemographic and occupational data. Validated instruments assessed TMD symptoms , somatic burden, psychological distress , and musculoskeletal complaints.Results TMD symptoms were present in 22.8% of participants, with combined intra-articular and pain-related TMD (CT) having the highest burden. CT participants demonstrated significantly greater psychological distress, somatic symptom burden, and musculoskeletal complaints. spanning the cranio-cervical region, spine, upper limbs, and lower limbs. Somatic symptom burden showed moderate correlations with psychological distress, global musculoskeletal, spinal, and lower limb burden.Conclusion TMD symptoms are prevalent among nurses and influenced by occupational conditions. Findings support the inclusion of TMDs in occupational health surveillance and integrated biopsychosocial care to address cumulative burdens in nursing populations.