Oral parafunctions as risk factors for diagnostic TMD subgroups

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Dental Research
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) encompass a range of conditions affecting the jaw joint and muscles.
• Oral parafunctions, such as clenching, grinding, and nail-biting, are common behaviors that may influence TMD development.
• Understanding the link between these habits and specific TMD diagnoses is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between diurnal clenching/grinding and nail-biting habits and different diagnostic subgroups of TMDs.
• To identify oral parafunctions as potential risk factors for specific TMD conditions.
• To analyze the influence of age and gender on these associations.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 557 TMD patients and 111 healthy controls.
• Patients were diagnosed with myofascial pain, disc displacement, or arthralgia/arthritis/arthrosis.
• Multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to assess associations, adjusting for age and gender.

Main Results:

• Daytime clenching/grinding significantly increased the risk of myofascial pain (OR=4.9) and disc displacement (OR=2.5).
• Nail biting was not significantly associated with any TMD subgroup.
• Female gender was a risk factor for myofascial pain (OR=3.8), while risk for disc displacement decreased with age.

Conclusions:

• Diurnal clenching and grinding are identified as significant risk factors for myofascial pain and disc displacement within TMDs.
• Nail biting does not appear to be associated with the investigated TMD diagnostic subgroups.
• Gender and age play differential roles in the risk of developing specific TMDs.