Psychological and somatic characteristics of acute versus chronic temporomandibular joint disc displacement without reduction: The role of pain catastrophizing

Introduction Evidence comparing psychological and somatic profiles of acute and chronic temporomandibular joint disc displacement without reduction (DDwoR) is limited.Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 75 participants: acute DDwoR ( ≤3 months), chronic DDwoR ( >3 months), and controls (n = 25 each). Pain, disability, jaw function, anxiety, somatic symptoms, oral behaviors, kinesiophobia, and catastrophizing were compared using Holm-corrected tests.Results Both DDwoR groups scored higher than controls in pain, functional limitation, parafunctional behaviors, kinesiophobia, and catastrophizing (p < .05), with acute DDwoR showing higher scores than chronic in all clinical and psychological measures except somatic symptoms (p ≤ .028). Pain catastrophizing was independently associated with pain intensity, functional limitation, and disability (p ≤ .005); symptom duration was also independently associated with pain intensity and disability, but not with functional limitation.Conclusions Acute DDwoR involves greater pain and psychosocial burden than chronic DDwoR. Pain catastrophizing is associated with pain severity, functional limitation, and disability independently of symptom duration, supporting biopsychosocial assessment of both.