Prevalence of signs and symptoms oftemporo-mandibular disorder in patients withsleep apnea.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to detect the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in patients withuntreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to compare the results with healthy controls, matched for sex and age. Forty-one consecutive patients withOSA were prospectively recruited from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the A. Gemelli Hospital prior to undergoing any treatment for OSA and independently of OSA severity. All patients underwent a complete TMD examination according to the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD) protocol. The same examination was performed on 41 healthy controls matched for sex and age. Chi-squared test was used to compare results between the two groups. Of the 41 patients with OSA, 21 (51%) presented signs and/or symptoms of TMD compared to 13 of 41 subjects(32%) from the control group. Headache attributed to TMD and disc displacement with reduction were the most common diagnoses, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.05). The prevalence of TMD signs and symptoms is significantly higher in untreatedpatients with OSA compared to healthy controls.