Occlusal abnormalities, pericranial muscle and joint tenderness and tooth wear in a group of migraine patients

Abstract

Seventy-two migraine sufferers, whose attacks normally begin during or soon after waking from sleep, were compared with 37 age- and sex-matched controls to establish whether signs of mandibular dysfunction, occlusal discrepancies and known clenching or grinding habits were any more frequent among the former group. Temporomandibular joint tenderness or pain history, masticatory muscle tenderness and known clenching or grinding habits were found to occur at significantly increased levels in the migraine sufferers, with two-thirds of these patients reporting a parafunctional habit. Occlusal abnormalities, including non-working side or protrusive interferences and slides of greater than 1 mm to the intercuspal position, were found to occur at similar frequencies in the two groups. Assessment of wear of the occlusal surfaces also showed no difference, suggesting that any nocturnal habit with a role in migraine is more likely to be clenching in nature. In conclusion, evidence was found to support an aetiological role for nocturnal tooth clenching or grinding in migraine characterized by attacks that start predominantly during sleep or soon after waking, but no evidence of a link with occlusal factors was found in these patients.