Abstract
Background Osteopaths may provide treatment to patients with orthodontic braces on the basis that orthodontic braces may cause headaches, some of which fall under the classification of migraine headache. Current evidence of a link between orthodontic braces and headaches, and in particular migraine headache, is anecdotal. Objective To investigate the prevalence of orthodontic treatment and migraine headache in females aged 12–18 years, and to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of migraine headache between females aged 12–18 years who currently have, or have had braces, and females aged 12–18 years who have not had braces. Method A closed-format prospective survey was undertaken in secondary schools in the Sydney region, subject to the school agreeing to participate. Three schools were included in this study, with a total of 2281 surveys distributed. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: (1) demographic data, (2) orthodontic history, and (3) headache history. Headache data was collected using the revised International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for paediatric migraine without aura. Subjects The study sample consisted of 340 female adolescents aged 12–18 years, from three schools in the Sydney region. There were a total of 340 subjects. Results A total of 360 surveys were returned, resulting in a survey response rate of 15.8%. Twenty respondents were excluded based on not meeting the subject criteria. 85.9% ( n = 309) of respondents suffered from headaches, of which 23.2% ( n = 79) were classified as common migraine. 39.7% ( n = 135) of respondents currently had or have had braces. The study sample was biased towards: (1) females with migraine headache; and (2) females with orthodontic braces. There was no difference in prevalence of migraine headache between female adolescents aged 12–18 years who currently have, or have had braces, and those who have not had braces.
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