Mindfulness practices may help address the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of managing pain-related temporomandibular disorders (TMD), according to a study recently published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.
Furthermore, mindfulness strategies for chronic TMD pain led to fewer pain points and higher pain thresholds, the authors wrote.
“Significant associations were observed between mindfulness-based intervention and various measures related to pain and the cognitive-behavioural-emotional axis of participants with chronic pain related to TMD,” wrote the authors, led by Melissa de Oliveira Melchior of the University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto School of Dentistry (J Oral Rehabil, August 6, 2025).
To evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on pain, thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in women with chronic TMD, 53 adult women diagnosed with TMD were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG), they wrote.
The IG completed an eight-week mindfulness program with weekly two-hour sessions and one four-hour immersion session. The CG received no intervention during this time. Before and after the program, all participants underwent clinical pain assessments and completed questionnaires on cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors, with evaluators blinded to group assignments.
Linear regression analyses showed that the mindfulness intervention was significantly associated with improvements in pain and cognitive-behavioral-emotional measures in women with chronic TMD pain. Participants experienced fewer pain points, higher pressure pain thresholds, reduced stress, and fewer catastrophic thoughts, they wrote.
Additionally, mindfulness levels increased, particularly in the areas of observation, distraction, and non-reactivity. All improvements were statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Nevertheless, the study had limitations. The sample size and differences in session attendance among participants may have affected the results, the authors added.
“Tailoring the programme with mindfulness practices that emphasise specific aspects of the physical and psychological manifestations of TMDs may result in an even more significant contribution to the management of this chronic pain condition,” they concluded.
