Temporomandibular disorder, menopausal symptoms linked

The intensity of temporomandibular disorder-induced pain was linked to menopausal symptom intensity, with the strongest correlation observed in the late menopausal transition, according to a cross-sectional study in Menopause.

“There is some inconclusive evidence pointing to the interference of hypoestrogenism in [temporomandibular disorder (TMD)]-induced pain and the influence of menopausal symptoms on the disorder,” Alessandra Pucci Mantelli Galhardo, PhD, an OB/GYN at the University of São Paulo Faculty of Medicine Clinics Hospital in Brazil, and colleagues wrote. “However, in these studies, women were not separated according to the different stages, namely, (early and late) menopausal transition and (early and late) postmenopause.”

Galhardo and colleagues enrolled 74 women with TMD symptoms who were being treated at their institution and divided them by menopausal stage: late menopausal transition (n = 25), early postmenopause (n = 30) and late postmenopause (n = 19).

The researchers found statistically significant differences between the groups for two menopause symptoms — tingling (P = .0397) and heart palpitations (P = .0085) — but not TMD-induced pain.

Overall, menopausal symptoms and the intensity of TMD pain were significantly associated with each other (P = .0004). This association was stronger during the late menopausal transition (P = .0267), with women in this group having more intense TMD pain compared with those in late postmenopause (P = .0426).

Analyses of sociodemographic factors revealed no statistically significant differences between groups for menopausal symptoms. However, early postmenopausal women with less than 4 years of schooling and who were white were significantly more likely to have symptoms compared with their counterparts (P =.02 and P = .008, respectively).

Additionally, the sociodemographic analysis showed there were no significant differences in TMD pain between groups, but less schooling within the early postmenopause group was significantly associated with a higher craniomandibular index score (P = .02).

“This should be a wake-up call for health professionals treating menopausal women,” Galhardo and colleagues wrote. “TMD may end up hindering and limiting vital actions, such as mastication and phonation, leading to negative social, professional and health consequences, as well as unsuccessful treatment outcomes for both [TMD and menopausal symptoms].”