Personality Traits of TMD Experts Really Matters, A New Era in TMD Management. A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Effective communication is critical in the management of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). However, the influence of dentists' personality traits on communication and subsequent patient outcomes remains poorly understood. PURPOSE: The primary objective was to determine which dentist personality traits are associated with more effective patient-centered communication. Secondary objectives were to examine whether these traits are linked to patient satisfaction, adherence to splint therapy, and improvements in psychological well-being. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SAMPLE: This was a prospective longitudinal cohort study conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University. The study included 30 dentists and 300 patients diagnosed with TMDs who met predefined eligibility criteria. PREDICTOR VARIABLE: Dentists' personality traits, assessed using the Big Five Inventory-2 Short Form (BFI-2-S). MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: The primary outcome was patient-centered communication, measured using the Patient-Centered Communication Scale (PCCS) at the 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction and adherence to splint therapy assessed at the 6-month follow-up, and change in psychological distress assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-10 (DASS-10) from baseline to 6 months. ANALYSES: Spearman correlation analyses were conducted with Bonferroni correction (α = 0.00125). Outcomes were further analysed using multilevel mixed-effects models with a random intercept for dentist (linear for continuous outcomes and logistic for binary outcomes). COVARIATES: Patient age, dentist age, and dentist gender. RESULTS: After Bonferroni correction, all correlations for conscientiousness, agreeableness, and negative emotionality remained statistically significant. For extraversion, only correlations with PCCS (p < 0.001), satisfaction with treatment expectations (p < 0.001), and splint adherence (hours/day; p = 0.001) remained significant; for open-mindedness, only correlations with PCCS (p = 0.001) and splint adherence (hours/day; p = 0.001) remained significant. These patterns were corroborated in adjusted multilevel mixed-effects models, showing directionally consistent associations across outcomes. CONCLUSION: Dentists' personality traits-especially higher levels of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability-were significantly associated with more effective communication, greater patient satisfaction, better adherence to splint therapy, and improved psychological well-being among TMD patients, emphasizing the importance of incorporating interpersonal characteristics into patient-centered clinical care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT07074366.