Factors associated with temporomandibular disorders pain in adolescents

<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:p>To gain a better understanding of temporomandibular disorders (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content>) pain in adolescents, it is important to study the factors associated with its presence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate potential predictors for <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> pain in adolescents, thereby including a diversity of factors from the biopsychosocial model to determine the strongest predictors. The sample of this cross‐sectional study consisted of 1094 adolescents. The presence of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> pain was assessed using the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RDC</jats:styled-content>/<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content>, Axis I. Apart from demographical characteristics, the roles of parafunctional habits, psychosocial aspects, menarche and other bodily pain complaints were evaluated. Single and multiple logistic regression models were used to identify associations between the predictor variables and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> pain. Painful <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> had a prevalence of 25·5%. Logistic regression analyses showed that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> pain was associated with sleep bruxism (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OR</jats:styled-content> = 1·8 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> = 1·34–2·34), awake bruxism (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OR</jats:styled-content> = 2·1 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> = 1·56–2·83), other parafunctional habits (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OR</jats:styled-content> = 2·2 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> = 1·17–4·08) and bodily pain complaints (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OR</jats:styled-content> = 5·0 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> = 3·48–7·28). Parafunctional habits and other bodily pain complaints may play an important role in the presence of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> pain in adolescents. Of course, it remains unclear whether the observed associations between the investigated factors and the adolescent's <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TMD</jats:styled-content> pain have a true causal linkage.</jats:p>