Prevalence of Painful Temporomandibular Disorders and Overlapping Primary Headaches Among Young Adults

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Large population-based estimates of the prevalence of painful temporomandibular disorders (p-TMD) utilising standardised screening tools are scarce and have not investigated the prevalence of overlapping primary headaches. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of p-TMD in a large population of young adults (18 to 23 years) and to estimate the co-occurrence of p-TMD and two primary headaches, migraine and tension-type headache (TTH). The study also aimed to examine the extent of psychological (PHQ-4) and physical (PHQ-15) comorbidities and report prevalence across three gender categories (women, men and other).

METHODS: Survey data from the Danish National Birth Cohort were collected (n = 11,982), in a cross-sectional observational design. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to address participation bias, revealing minimal impact on the estimates.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of p-TMD was 26.4% with gender-specific prevalence of women: 31.5%, other: 39.2% and men: 16.8%. Among those with p-TMD, 80.5% reported headaches at least once a month, and 13.8% over 15 days monthly. For the p-TMD individuals with a medical headache diagnosis, 31.9% experienced TTH and 10.9% migraine. The study also identified a higher proportion of moderate/severe psychological distress and physical symptoms in the p-TMD group compared to the non-p-TMD group. Logistic regression revealed a positive association between PHQ-4 and p-TMD, modified by gender (p = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS: High overall prevalence of p-TMD and overlapping primary headaches was found in young adults. In addition, the study reports gender-specific associations between p-TMD, psychological distress and physical comorbidities indicating that this association is stronger for men than for women.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study found a higher-than-expected prevalence of painful temporomandibular disorders in young adults. It is based on a large population cohort and used standardised and validated screening tools. The study also reported common co-occurrence of primary headaches and explored gender differences. The study raises awareness for a possibly underestimated health burden in young individuals, particularly among individuals experiencing psychological distress and multiple physical symptoms.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere70013
JournalEuropean journal of pain (London, England)
Volume29
Issue5
Number of pages13
ISSN1090-3801
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2025

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Denmark/epidemiology
  • Dentistry
  • Facial pain
  • Female
  • Gender diversity
  • Headache Disorders, Primary/epidemiology
  • Headache/epidemiology
  • Headaches
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Migraine Disorders/epidemiology
  • Population health
  • Prevalence
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/epidemiology
  • Tension-Type Headache/epidemiology
  • Young Adult
  • dentistry
  • gender diversity
  • headaches
  • temporomandibular disorders
  • population health
  • facial pain
  • cohort studies

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