The etiology of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) has been linked to various factors, including functional and psychological factors, which makes it difficult to identify associations between a single etiological factor and the signs and symptoms of TMDs. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the presence of TMD symptoms and their relationship with sleep disturbances and emotional disorders in children and adolescents. Methods: This observational study included Spanish children aged between 8 and 13 years. The measurement instruments consisted of the BRUNI survey for sleep disorders and the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression (CECAD) survey. A clinical examination was subsequently performed following the DC/TMD guidelines for diagnosing TMDs. Frequencies, means, and standard deviations were applied, along with the prevalence ratio as a measure of association and the chi-square test. The significance level was set at 5%. Results: A total of 128 participants participated in the study with a mean age of 10.89 (±2.15) years. The prevalence of TMDs was 54%, while the most common symptoms were muscle pain at 26%, joint pain at 14%, and a combination of both at 14%. Children who presented muscle pain had a mean anxiety score of 44.87 (±11.85), whereas those without symptoms had a mean score of 36 (±10.78, and 0.03 p-value). The BRUNI index revealed that 78.13% of patients with TMDs had difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, with a prevalence ratio (PR) of 3.57 (p-value 0.041). Conclusions: The present study reveals that temporomandibular disorders are common in children and adolescents, with 54% presenting at least one clinical sign or symptom. Emotional disturbances and sleep problems were also prevalent, affecting 41% and 56% of participants, respectively. Early interdisciplinary screening is essential to manage the co-occurrence of TMDs, emotional distress, and sleep problems in children.

Sleep disorders (SD) in children is a topic of great relevance due to their impact on a child’s general health. This has led us to study their prevalence and the factors that disturb them in the developing population. Using a validated Likert-type questionnaire, different behaviors observed by the parents during the different phases of their children’s sleep were evaluated during the last 6 months. A total of 206 children between the ages of 7 and 17 who attended a dental office participated in the study. The prevalence of SD was 47.6%. There were no significant differences regarding the SD in relation to sex (p = 0.796). The mean total score for children aged 7 to 11 years old was 42.3 (±14.25) compared to 45.44 (±15.51) for the group consisting of children aged 12 to 17 years old, reporting a statistically significant difference among both age groups (p = 0.01). The most frequent disorder was related to initiating and maintaining sleep (64.9%) while the least prevalent were the respiratory sleep disorders (27.2%). Given the high prevalence of these disorders, it is necessary to intercept them during childhood and establish educational guidelines in this regard throughout primary care.

The acquisition of dental skills during the final year of the Dentistry degree is primarily based on clinical training, which was severely disrupted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of the study was to determine the degree of acquisition of specific skills in the Integrated Dental Clinic course based on students' perceptions. A total of 84 dental students were included in the study. Online forms were administered to evaluate students' perception of competency acquisition in professionalism, communication, basic knowledge, information management, critical thinking, collection of clinical information, diagnosis, treatment, health establishment, health maintenance, and health promotion. The questionnaires were sent before and after the declaration of the COVID-19 state of alarm in Spain. Statistical analysis was performed using R statistical software, v. 4.1.1. The highest percentage of students reporting high levels of perceived competency acquisition corresponded to health promotion (72.37%), professionalism (52.86%) and ability to collect clinical information (52.34%). Statistically significant improvements in perceived skill acquisition between the beginning and the end of the course were observed for professionalism, collection of clinical information, diagnosis, treatment, health establishment, health maintenance, and health promotion. Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, fifth-year dental students perceived that they had successfully acquired specific skills by the end of the academic course, particularly professional skills, ability to collect clinical information, ability to diagnose and treat, ability to establish and maintain health, as well as health promotion skills.