Significant Rise in Facial Pain and Teeth Grinding Observed During the Pandemic

Feb, 2021 - By SMI

Researchers from the TAU (Tel Aviv University) found that the feelings of stress among Israel’s population during the first COVID-19 lockdown increased facial pain and jaw clenching.

The feelings of anxiety and stress which were experienced by the wide-ranging population in Israel during the country’s initial lockdown caused a considerable increase in facial and jaw pain in addition to teeth grinding during the night and jaw-clenching during the day, as demonstrated in a study conducted by researchers from the TAU. Moreover, the results showed that women were more likely to experience these symptoms compared to men. Moreover, individuals in the age group of 35 to 55 suffered these symptoms more than other age groups.

According to lead investigators Dr. Alona Emodi-Perlman and Prof. Ilana Eli of TAU's Goldschleger, these results reflect the stress and anxiety experienced by people who were home with children and without help from other members of the family such as grandparents. Moreover, this age group was likely to be worried about elderly parents, dealing with financial issues, and working remotely under stressful conditions. The research team is affiliated to the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and the findings were published on 12^th October 2020 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

In this study, participants were assessed for the likelihood and presence of worsening distress during the initial COVID-19 induced lockdown in Israel. Rising anxiety levels across the nation prompted this assessment, and nearly 2000 people from Poland and Israel responded to the questionnaire. At the time of the initial lockdown, the wide-ranging public demonstrated a significant increase in facial pain, teeth grinding at night and jaw clenching during the day. These symptoms are often linked with stress and anxiety. Additionally, prevalence rate of these symptoms increased from 35% prior to the pandemic, to 47%. Moreover, jaw clenching during the day increased from 17% to 32%, and teeth grinding increased from 10% to a shocking 36%. The severity of these symptoms also increased by 15%.