Diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders and assessment of disclusion time in a chronic daily headache population

Abstract

Chronic Daily Headache (CDH) is characterised by the presence of headache for more than 15 days/month for a period longer than 3 months. Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) are a group of conditions involving the masticatory musculature, the temporomandibular joints and/or associated structures. It has been suggested that TMD is a likely under diagnosed cause of CDH. Myofascial pain is a common form of TMD that is often associated with headache. It has been suggested that an increased disclusion time (time taken for posterior teeth to separate during mandibular excursions) may be related to myofascial pain. Disclusion time reduction by tooth adjustment has been suggested as a possible management strategy for myofascial pain conditions. This study aimed to compare the incidence of diagnosed TMD in a CDH population with a non headache suffering control population using a validated diagnostic method.