Oral habits and TMJ dysfunction in facial pain and non-pain subjects

Multifactorial theories for facial pain aetiology have been proposed in the past, although little research has been produced to support a multifactorial aetiology. The present study assessed self-rated oral habits over a 7 day period for facial pain and non-pain subjects with and without a clinical symptom of TMJ dysfunction. The results indicate a significant effect for TMJ dysfunction and teeth clenching and an interaction between TMJ dysfunction and facial pain for biting of the lips and mouth. A significant chi-square test showed that most non-pain controls with TMJ dysfunction reported that they never clenched. The results are discussed in terms of support for a multifactorial aetiology in some facial pain patients and the need for future research to delineate subgroups of facial pain and non-pain subjects.