Dental India
Estrogen Not a Factor in Jaw Disorders
ADA News Releases
March 2001
Estrogen Not a Factor in Jaw Disorders
CHICAGO-Women on birth control pills and older women taking estrogen
replacements are not at increased risk of developing temporomandibular
disorders (TMDs), a condition affecting the jaw muscles and jaw joint,
according to a new study.
TMDs are about two- to- five-times greater in women than in men, a
statistic that has long puzzled dental clinicians and researchers.
Symptoms can include pain in the face or jaw-joint area; limited mouth
opening; jaws that "lock" or "go out"; clicking or popping sounds of
the jaw joint; and other complaints, including headaches, earaches and
dizziness.
Results of the study are published in the March issue of The Journal
of the American Dental Association.
Since women are much more likely to suffer TMDs, the study looked at
whether sex hormones play some role in the condition.
Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San
Antonio, studied 510 women, ages 37-82 and divided them into an
estrogen-user group and a control group.
Signs and symptoms of jaw disorders were identified during clinical
examination using the Craniomandibular Index (CMI), which quantifies
pain and dysfunction. Results indicate the muscle and joint symptoms
were not significantly different between the control group and those
women taking estrogen.
Lead researcher John P. Hatch, Ph.D., speculates that experts may have
mistakenly believed a clinical link existed between estrogen use and
TMDs when in fact it may have been a coincidence attributable to
patient demographics. In other words, the women who aggressively seek
treatment for TMDs are the same type of informed health consumers who
request the pill or estrogen replacement therapy.
"Our results clearly demonstrate that demographic, socioeconomic,
cultural and health care variables distinguish women who are taking
estrogens from those who are not," Dr. Hatch points out.
For those suffering from TMD, treatments vary based on individual
diagnosis. According to the American Dental Association, dentists may
recommend a treatment involving a step-by-step plan to determine if
only minor corrective treatment is needed.
If pain and other symptoms persist, dentists may advise the following:
Apply moist heat or take prescription medication such as muscle
relaxants, analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs to try to eliminate
muscle spasm and pain.
Wear bite plates to reduce harmful effects of clenching or grinding
the teeth.
Use relaxation techniques to help control muscle tension in the jaw.
To help eliminate stress, tooth grinding or clenching, dentists may
also suggest counseling.
Lastly, when other treatments prove unsuccessful, jaw joint surgery
may be recommended.
This research was supported in part by the National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Note: Although the study referenced above appears in The Journal of
the American Dental Association (JADA), it does not necessarily
reflect the policies or opinions of the American Dental Association
(ADA).
For information about the ADA's positions on oral health issues, click
here.
Journalists contact: mediarelations@ada.org, 312/440-2806
All others contact the ADA
