Temporomandibular dysfunction can contribute to aggravation of tension-type headache: a case report

A 15-year-old girl, who had had occasional tension-type headache, developed, rather suddenly and without any obvious reason, severe headache. She was admitted to hospital, where examination including CT and magnetic resonance scans did not show any abnormality. A visit to her own general practitioner 7 months later showed tenderness in the muscle of mastication. The patient was referred to a dentist, who diagnosed temporomandibular dysfunction and tension-type headache. After three acupuncture treatments, the patient was without headache and remained free of headache during the following 6 months.