Otological findings and other symptoms related to temporomandibular disorders in young people

In a prospective, observational study between April and November 2017 we evaluated the correlation between temporomandibular disorder (TMD), and otological signs and other symptoms in a sample of 251 patients. First, a simplified anamnestic questionnaire was applied for the diagnosis of TMD and the following symptoms were recorded: otalgia, tinnitus, vertigo, pruritus of the ear, feeling of hearing loss, fullness in the ear, headache, pain in the eye, neck pain, back pain, and dizziness. Some degree of TMD was detected in 177 of the participants (70.5%). Among the otological symptoms studied, significant associations were found with tinnitus (<0.001), ear pain (<0.001), feeling of hearing loss (<0.001), and vertigo (<0.001). There were also significant associations with non-otological symptoms, the most common being back pain (<0.001), headache (<0.001), neck pain (<0.001), pain in the eye (<0.001), and dizziness (0.001). Our findings show that the higher incidence of both otological and non-otological symptoms was associated with a progressive increase in the severity of TMD.