Teeth contacting habit as a contributing factor to chronic pain in patients with temporomandibular disorders.
Many different factors are known to cause and perpetuate the symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the roles of parafunctional factors have not been clearly elucidated. We found one of these habits in the clinical setting. This parafunctional habit involves daily light touching of the upper and lower teeth, when the mouth is closed. We named this habit Teeth Contacting Habit (TCH). [OBJECTIVES] To investigate the following hypotheses: 1) TCH is associated with perpetuation of chronic pain of TMD patients; 2) TCH is associated with other behavioral factors. [METHODS] Two hundred and twenty-nine TMD outpatients with chronic pain were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression models. [RESULTS] TCH was found in 52.4% of patients. Patients with TCH and pain lasting for more than four months were less likely to experience improvements in pain at the first visit (OR = 1.944, p = 0.043). Other factors associated with TCH were as follows: unilateral chewing (OR = 2.802) and involvement in a precision job (OR = 2.195). [CONCLUSION] TCH can prolong TMD pain and is associated with other behavioral factors.
Sato
Fumiaki
F
Maxillofacial Surgery, Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Function, Division of Maxillofacial and Neck Reconstruction, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan. fums@mac.com
Kino
Koji
K
Sugisaki
Masashi
M
Haketa
Tadasu
T
Amemori
Yoko
Y
Ishikawa
Takayuki
T
Shibuya
Toshihisa
T
Amagasa
Teruo
T
Shibuya
Tomoaki
T
Tanabe
Haruyasu
H
Yoda
Tetsuya
T
Sakamoto
Ichiro
I
Omura
Ken
K
Miyaoka
Hitoshi
H
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000150:complications; D002012:Bruxism / Q000150:complications; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003769:Dental Occlusion, Traumatic / Q000150:complications*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D009790:Occupations; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000150:complications; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D019224:Temporomandibular Joint Disc / Q000503:physiopathology; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000150:complications