Temporomandibular disorder and new aural symptoms

Abstract

Objectives: To report the prevalence and demographics of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) within a population of clinic patients and to describe the prevalence of revisited and new, previously unstudied, aural symptoms described by a sample of these patients with TMD (hereinafter "TMD patients"). Design: A retrospective evaluation of patient records was completed to determine the percentage and the demographics of TMD patients in a clinical setting. A prospective analysis was done on the self-reported prevalence of previously studied and new aural symptoms of 78 TMD study patients compared with 78 control patients without TMD. Setting: A private otolaryngology practice in a rural Arizona town. Patients: Patients with TMD and aural symptoms. Results: Ten percent of all new otolaryngology clinic patients were diagnosed as having TMD. Of the 78 patients, 27 (35%) listed the ear as one of their sites of pain. The prevalence of each of the 8 aural symptoms assessed was significantly higher in TMD patients compared with controls (P