There has been some research into Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) recently that has found a link with sleep duration and jaw pain. TMD is otherwise known as TMJ pain. And that’s another big word for you; TMJ means Temporomandibular Joint, which basically is our jaw joints on each side of our head. It is the joint where the mandible, our lower jaw, fits into our maxilla, our upper jaw.

Researchers recently published a study in the “Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.” The study took place at the Seoul National University School of Dentistry in Korea, and was led by Dr. Ji Woon Park, PhD of the Orofacial Pain Clinic.

According to the study, up to 60% of the general population is affected by TMD. This may be at different times in a person’s life. For some it may affect them momentarily and then go away. For others it can be chronic and linger longer, or cycle between calmer and more severe acute episodes. TMDs are the second most common cause of orofacial pain after toothaches for people.

The study highlighted a link with sleep, finding that about 90% of patients with TMD reported having poor sleep, and that when sleep was poor their incidence of first onset TMD went up 32%. The group of TMD participants in the study who had more sleep, over 8 hours per night, did far better with therapy than the TMD participants who had less than 6 hours of sleep.

The most common factors associated with TMD are psychological stress and now a strong correlation has been found with quality of sleep as well. Treatment usually involves behavioral measures, physical therapy, hot compress, medications and occlusal stabilization splints, which are plastic guards that provide full coverage of the teeth.

Having good quality sleep should also be added to the recommended regimen of treatment now for treating TMD, which is a very common ailment that can afflict a person at least once in their lifetime. Of course, reducing stress is probably the biggest factor, but depending on circumstances in a person’s life sometimes that’s easier said than done. In today’s frenetic-paced world, it seems stress is an underlying factor in many diseases that afflict society. Another example of the mind and body connection and how taking care of one’s health can be both a physical and a mental and emotional exercise.