Introduction An
earache (
otalgia or
ear pain) is
pain in one or both
ears that may last a short or long
time.
Earache is prevalent in the
population with
temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs), but there is a dearth of
epidemiologic studies regarding the
association between TMJD and
ear pain and
ear fullness in older people. Objective To assess the presence of
earache and
ear fullness in
elderly patients with TMJD.
Methods A
cross-sectional study was conducted in independently living,
elderly individuals. TMJD was assessed by dental evaluation and
earache was verified by medical
history.
Statistical analysis was performed using the
chi-square test and
relative risk. Results Of the 197 subjects evaluated in this part of the study, 22 had
earache, and 35 was verified by
ear fullness. Of the 22 subjects with
earache, none had conductive or
mixed hearing loss in the
ears tested. There was a significant
association (p = 0.036) between the TMJD and
earache (
odds ratio = 2.3), but there was no significant
association between the TMJD and
ear fullness. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of identifying
risk factors for
earache that can be modified through specific interventions, which is essential in the prevention of
future episodes, as well as managing the process of
treatment of
elderly patients in general...