The extent of the psychological impairment of prosthodontic outpatients at a German University Hospital

BACKGROUND: Psychological factors are not only important in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), but also in patients suffering from tooth loss and/or in those awaiting prosthodontic care with fixed or removable dentures as several authors emphasize. The purpose of the present prospective observational study was to compare prosthodontic outpatients of the Department of Prosthodontics at the University of Duesseldorf and patients seeking care at the TMD/Orofacial Pain Outpatient Clinic (TMD/OFPOC) at the same university with respect to sociodemographic data, self-reported somatic complaints, and psychological impairment. METHODS: A total of 234 patients received two self-administered questionnaires including the Symptom-Check-List. Complete data have been obtained from 65 prosthodontic outpatients and 60 patients of the TMD/OFPOC. RESULTS: Results indicated statistically significant group differences regarding sociodemographic data and somatic complaints. Concerning the latter, in 11 of the 21 items, groups differed significantly and confirmed the absence of any mixing between the two outpatient clinics. Although the evaluation of psychological impairment revealed no significant group differences, in 21.9% of the prosthodontic outpatients and in 22.0% of the patients from the TMD/OFPOC, the extent of the determined psychological impairment was similar to that of psychotherapeutic outpatients; in 9.4% and 8.5% it was similar to that of psychotherapeutic inpatients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, in approximately one third of the evaluated patients of both the prosthodontic outpatient clinic and the TMD/OFPOC the psychological impairment reached values comparable to those of psychotherapeutic outpatients and psychotherapeutic inpatients. Therefore, the present findings emphasize the need to intensify the integration of psychosomatic aspects into dentistry and, in particular, to add psychological considerations to future German education plans.