The Association Between Self-Reported Awake Oral Behaviors and Orofacial Pain Depends on the Belief of Patients That These Behaviors Are Harmful to the Jaw

Aims: To examine if the existence of an association between self-reported awake oral behaviors and orofacial pain depends on the belief of patients that these behaviors are harmful to the jaw and to investigate if an additional variable (ie, somatic symptoms, depression, and/or anxiety) indirectly affects the association between the causal attribution belief and the report of awake oral behaviors. Methods: Prior to the first clinical visit, patients referred to a specialized clinic for complaints of orofacial pain and dysfunction completed a digital questionnaire. Data of 329 patients diagnosed with myalgia according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (82.4% women; mean ± SD age = 41.9 ± 14.7 years) were analyzed. Results: Causal attribution belief moderated the association between awake oral behaviors and orofacial pain intensity. In addition, the relationship between causal attribution belief and self-reported oral behaviors was partially mediated by the presence of somatic symptoms (8%), depression (9%), and anxiety (16%). Conclusion: Awake oral behaviors were positively associated with orofacial pain, but only under the condition of a strong belief of the patients in causal attribution of these behaviors to the jaw pain complaint. No such association was present in case of a low causal attribution belief. It appeared that, within this patient cohort, the relationship between causal attribution belief and self-reported oral behaviors was (in part) the result of shared psychologic risk factors. Keywords: associations, awake oral behaviours, causal attribution belief, pain-related temporomandibular disorders, psychological factors