Elsevier

Dental Abstracts

Volume 62, Issue 5, September–October 2017, Pages 303-305
Dental Abstracts

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OPPERA study results

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.denabs.2016.12.050Get rights and content

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Background

The Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) project has conducted studies of the incidence and risk factors for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) for a decade. A total of 4346 subjects participated over the course of 10 years, and the results of the investigations have verified some factors already considered as increasing the risk of TMD, refuted others, and revealed new information about TMD etiology. Selected findings were discussed from OPPERA’s 35 papers,

Study Methods

The studies fell into three designs: prospective cohort study, case-control study, and nested case-control study. The participants were age 18 to 44 years and lived in one of four locations: Baltimore, MD; Buffalo, NY; Chapel Hill, NC; or Gainesville, FL.

The prospective cohort study evaluated the incidence rate of first-onset TMD and included 3258 subjects. All completed a plethora of psychosocial questionnaires; had autonomic function and sensitivity to experimental pain measured; and donated

Selected Results

The prospective cohort study identified a first-onset TMD incidence rate of 3.9% per annum. However, facial pain symptoms occurred early and often for many study participants, some of whom never developed clinical TMD. The number of symptom episodes constituted a level of subclinical suffering that is rarely seen by health care providers, but indicated a highly elevated risk for future symptom development.

The rate of TMD symptoms was similar in men and women, which is counter to the findings of

Discussion

TMD has been revealed as a complex disorder that results from the interactions of multiple genetic and environmental domains, with the passage of time thrown in. There are distinct pathways of etiologic significance that will require further research.

Clinical Significance

How does all of this information relate to clinical practice? It’s clear that persons in poor health are at a higher risk for developing TMD. Therefore clinicians should promote habits that foster good general health, such as

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Slade GD, Ohrbach R, Greenspan JD, et al: Painful temporomandibular disorder: Decade of discovery from OPPERA studies. J Dent Res 95:1084-1092, 2016

Reprints available from GD Slade, Koury Oral Health Sciences, UNC School of Dentistry, 385 S Columbia St, CB#7455, Rm 4501E, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7455; e-mail: [email protected]

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