Disfunción de la articulación temporomandibular y neuroinflamación crónica

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a frequent cause of chronic orofacial pain, whose pathophysiology integrates inflammatory, neurological and psychosocial mechanisms. The objective was to analyze the relationship between temporomandibular joint dysfunction and the chronic neuroinflammatory processes described in the literature. A narrative literature review with a systematized search was conducted in PubMed and SciELO; 15 articles published between 2020 and 2025 were included. Pain did not correlate linearly with joint degeneration and was associated with proinflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, chemokines), peripheral and central sensitization, neuroplastic changes in the trigeminothalamocortical pathway and psycho-emotional factors; treatment-resistant profiles with greater central sensitization were described. It is concluded that painful TMD should be understood as a neuroinflammatory and biopsychosocial condition requiring comprehensive approaches to prevent chronicity.