Assessment of the relationship between sleep bruxism, reported pain and headache, selected health factors, and general health conditions among temporomandibular disorder patients: A preliminary report

Abstract

Background. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) constitute a serious health problem that can have a negative effect on patients’ lives, impair work performance, and result in work absences and restrictions in daily activities. Therefore, it is of great importance not only to employ appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the case of patients suffering from TMD and/or sleep bruxism (SB), but also to analyze the impact of different medical and non-medical factors on the occurrence of such conditions, as the proper modification of these factors may mitigate the severity of patients’ symptoms. Objectives. The present preliminary study aimed to assess the relationship between SB, reported pain and headache, selected health factors, and general health conditions among TMD patients. Material and methods. A total of 114 patients from the Outpatient Clinic for Temporomandibular Disorders in Wroclaw, Poland, had single-night video-polysomnography (PSG) performed. The patients completed questionnaires about their pain experience, headache and health condition, including the pre-sence or history of diseases such as hypothyroidism, arterial hypertension, cancer, diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and were asked about the frequency of alcohol consumption, smoking, caffeine use, and physical activity. The collected data was statistically analyzed. Results. It seems that among patients with TMD, a history of cancer and GERD may have an impact on the experience of pain and headache. Smoking was significantly associated with the occurrence and intensity of SB. Conclusions. A few habits, health factors and general health conditions of patients with TMD are associated with SB, and reported pain and headache, but this relationship requires further research conducted on a larger study group.