TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDER, BODY PAIN, AND OTOLOGIC AND PSYCHOLOGIC SYMPTOMS: THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS IN ASIAN YOUTHS.

Purpose: To establish the interrelationships between temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), pain, and otologic and psychologic comorbidities in Asian youths.

Materials and methods: Youths from a local polytechnic, aged 17 to 24 years old, were enrolled and an electronic survey encompassing demographic variables-the DC/TMD TMD pain screener (TPS), Short- form Fonseca Anamnestic Index (SFAI), modified Maciel's Otologic/Pain Symptom Inventory, and Patient Health Questionnaire-4-was administered. Par.cipants were subsequently categorized into groups: no TMD pain (NP), with TMD pain (WP), no TMDs (NT), and with any TMDs (WT). Data were evaluated with chi-square test, nonparametric, and logistic regression analyses (α = .05).

Results: Among the 198 participants (mean age 18.8 ± 1.7 years), 11.1% had painful TMDs and 18.2% experienced TMD pain or dysfunction. Significant differences in total-otologic symptoms (total-OS), vertigo, and dizziness plus otalgia, tinnitus, and hearing loss scores were observed between the WP-NP and WT-NT groups correspondingly. While total-comorbid pain (total-CP) and psychologic distress (total-PD) scores varied substanally between the WT-NT group, only a significant difference in total-PD scores was discerned between the WP-NP group. Total-OS scores were moderately correlated to TPS/SFAI, total-CP, and total-PD scores, and psychologic distress was a risk factor for painful TMDs.

Conclusions: Otologic and pain comorbidities were prevalent among Asian youths with TMDs and appear to be interrelated. The complex interaction of TMDs with pain, otologic, and psychologic comorbidities must be considered when caring for youths with multiple somatic complaints.