Shoulder Girdle Pain and Disability in Patients with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Temporomandibular disorder is characterized by discomfort and dysfunctional alterations involving the masticatory muscles and temporomandibular joints; these are thought to be the most frequent reasons for ongoing discomfort in the orofacial area. Objective: To find the prevalence of the temporomandibular disorder and its association with shoulder girdle pain and disability. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out within six months after the approval of the synopsis and the data was collected from the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, Evercare Hospital, and Valencia Health Clinic in Lahore. The participants were asked to fill out the questionnaires after receiving their written consent. The study included participants aged 25 to 60 years. People who had recent injury on their face or upper limbs, or had surgery on their face, jaw, mandible, or upper limb, or had been diagnosed with RA, SEL, fibromyalgia, or other systemic joint diseases. The temporomandibular disorder Short Screen Checklist and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index were used for data collection. The data was collected after completing the questionnaires to assess the prevalence of shoulder pain and disability and their association with this disorder. Using SPSS version 25.0, the data was analyzed, and for the quantitative variables, means and standard deviations were computed, while the qualitative variables were shown as frequencies and percentages. Results: The prevalence of shoulder pain and disability among temporomandibular disorders in the study sample was 28.4%. Out of 95, the majority of the participants i.e. 37(38.9%) were from the age group 50 to 60 years. About 42(44.2%) participants were males and 53 (55.8%) were females. The mean pain scale score of SPADI was 15.43±16.75 and the mean disability scale score of SPADI was 23.08±21.26. There was a significant association between the Short Screen Checklist and the Pain scale of SPADI i.e. shoulder pain (p<0.001) and the Short Screen Checklist and the disability scale of SPADI i.e. shoulder disability (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study found a moderate prevalence of shoulder pain and disability in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders. There was a significant association between temporomandibular disorder and shoulder pain and disability.