Clinical evaluation of the pain predictors among temporomandibular joint disorders patients with full dentition and free-end extensions: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the possible role of the age, occlusion type, type of dentition (full dentition or free-end extensions), and type of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) to predict the presence of pain. Methods: Subjects were selected from volunteer male TMD patients with one partially edentulous jaw from the Baghdad city in 2022. Pain was assessed via the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Angle’s and Kennedy’s classifications were employed to assess occlusion and partially edentulous jaw conditions. TMD was assessed using Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) for Clinical and Research Applications. Relationship between pain as ordinal dependent variable and other predictor variables was assessed via ordinal logistic regression using SPSS 26. Results: 240 subjects were assessed for eligibility and 180 TMD patients (mean age 41.1 ± 0.46) were included in the study. The omnibus test showed that the model outperforms the null model (p < 0.001). Disc displacement with reduction (odds ratio: 0.09) and Kennedy’s Class I (odds ratio: 0.42) were statistically significant inverse predictors for pain (p < 0.05). Age (p = 0.66) and Angle’s occlusion type (p = 0.91) were not significant predictors for pain. Conclusion: Probability of pain decreased in disc displacement with reduction and Kennedy’s Class I.