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Examining Laterality in Masticatory Myofascial Pain
Rafael Benoliel1, Yaron Haviv2, Shai Levi3,4
1Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Objective:
To characterize unilateral and bilateral masticatory myofascial pain (MMP) in a clinical cohort.
Materials And Methods:
Patients meeting criteria for MMP according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders were recruited over a 2-year period. Demographic and clinical date were recorded. Data for unilateral and bilateral pain were analysed using Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Fisher's Exact tests. Variables showing a p < 0.2 were entered into a binary logistic regression model, with pain laterality as the dependent variable.
Results:
Patients with unilateral pain exhibited muscle tenderness both ipsilaterally and bilaterally, and patients with bilateral pain likewise demonstrated tenderness bilaterally and unilaterally. Unilateral pain was significantly associated with pain-related awakening (p = 0.03), nausea (p = 0.01), and primary pain (p = 0.01). These associations were confirmed in the regression analysis. Patients with unilateral and bilateral pain were similar in demographic characteristics.
Conclusions:
Unilateral and bilateral masticatory muscle pain differ in three clinical domains. Unilateral pain is significantly associated with pain-related awakening, primary pain, and nausea. The significance of these findings needs further study in a larger cohort. Additionally, the potential relationship between unilateral/bilateral MMP and headache warrants further investigation.
