Perceived pain and temporomandibular disorders in neuromuscular diseases

Little is known about pain associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in neuromuscular diseases. Inpatients (N = 134) with neuromuscular disorder diagnoses were given questionnaires to estimate pain localization and intensity. Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders and the Temporomandibular Index (TMI) were utilized to assess TMD. Pain was reported by 116 patients (86%). Legs (52%) and arms (33%) were the most common locations for pain localization, but the highest Pearson correlations (TMI vs. perceived pain) appeared for pain located in the trunk and arms (0.861, P < 0.01). No correlation between TMI and diagnosis group existed except for "acquired myopathy" and "miscellaneous neuromuscular diseases." These results suggest that the degree of TMD does not correlate with pain according to disease, although common mechanisms might be responsible for pain development in specific body regions connected with TMD. Most important, higher levels of TMD are associated with higher levels of perceived pain.