Temporomandibular disorders, neck disability, and oral parafunctions in tinnitus patients: A cross-sectional epidemiological study from Southern Italy

Objective: To assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a sample of tinnitus patients and to determine the association between tinnitus, TMD, neck disability, and oral parafunctions. Methods: Seventy-nine tinnitus patients were enrolled and underwent standardized clinical examination for TMD. The tinnitus severity was measured with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). The oral parafunctions were self-reported with the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC). The neck disability was recorded with the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Results: More than half of the sample presented TMD, and the most frequent diagnosis was TMD pain. Higher THI was observed in TMD-pain individuals, compared to TMD-free (β 18.4; 95%CI 6.7, 30.1; p = 0.002). The OBC showed a significant low-to-moderate positive correlation with the THI (rho= 0.368, p = 0.001), while the NDI did not. Discussion: Standardized assessment of TMD and oral behaviors should be integrated into the routine diagnostic evaluations of tinnitus patients.