question: STUDY OBJECTIVES To assess the general subjective sleep quality in individuals with and without TMD, and its distribution among the TMD diagnostic groups. METHODS A systematic review search was performed in Pubmed/MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, Web of Science, SciELO, CINAHL and Cochrane Central as well as in the grey literature. Observational studies published since 1992 which used either the DC/TMD or RDC/TMD for TMD diagnosis and either the PSQI, SAQ or ESS questionnaires for sleep assessment were included. Articles selected for meta-analysis underwent quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias evaluation. RESULTS A total of 1,071 articles were found by online search, and ten articles were added manually. For full-text reading, 138 papers were selected. Thirty-six articles were included in the final review, and 19 in the meta-analysis (PSQI only). Subjective sleep quality was shown to be associated with all RDC/TMD or DC/TMD Axis I diagnostic groups: muscle disorders, arthralgia/osteoarthritis/osteoarthrosis, and disc displacements; with the highest association in the first two groups, and the lowest in the last one. A 4.45 times increased odds ratio of TMD prevalence was found for individuals who presented poor subjective sleep quality. CONCLUSION Subjective sleep quality should be considered in the management of TMD.