Association of temporomandibular disorders severity with otologic and concomitant pain symptoms in Asian youths

Objective To investigate the presence/severity of TMDs among Asian youths and examine the associations between TMD severity, otologic, and concomitant pain symptoms. Methods Youths (17-24 years old) were recruited from a local polytechnic. The presence/severity of TMDs was determined with the Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI), while otologic/concomitant pain symptoms were appraised with the Maciel's Symptoms Checklist (MSC). Demographic, FAI, and MSC data were evaluated using Kruskal Wallis, chi-square, and relevant post-hoc tests (alpha = 0.05). Results Among the participants (n = 200) enrolled, 40.5% had no TMD, whereas mild, moderate, and severe TMD were present in 43.5%, 12.5%, and 3.5%, respectively. Participants with moderate/severe TMDs had significantly more otalgia, tinnitus, vertigo, dizziness, ear pruritus, hearing loss, ear fullness, headache, eye, neck, and back pain than those with no TMDs (p < 0.001). Conclusion Otologic and concomitant pain symptoms were associated with TMDs and appear to increase with progressive TMD severity.