Beschreibung:
<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective</jats:title><jats:p>Tinnitus is frequently associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. However, the nature of the relationship is not fully understood. Here the authors compared 30 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of temporomandibular joint dysfunction and tinnitus to a group of 61 patients with tinnitus but without any subjective complaints of TMJ dysfunction with respect to clinical and demographic characteristics.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Study Design</jats:title><jats:p>Case‐control study.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Setting</jats:title><jats:p>Tertiary referral center.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Subjects</jats:title><jats:p>Tinnitus patients with and without TMJ dysfunction presenting at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and the Tinnitus Clinic at the University of Regensburg.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Tinnitus patients with TMJ disorder had better hearing function (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> <. 0005), lower age (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> =. 001), and lower age at tinnitus onset (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> =. 002) and were more frequently female (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> =. 003). Their subjectively perceived tinnitus loudness was lower (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> =. 01), and more of them could modulate their tinnitus by jaw or neck movements (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> =. 001).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>Classical risk factors for tinnitus (age, male gender, hearing loss) are less relevant in tinnitus patients with TMJ disorder, suggesting a causal role of TMJ pathology in the generation and maintenance of tinnitus. Based on this finding, treatment of TMJ disorder may represent a causally oriented treatment strategy for tinnitus.</jats:p></jats:sec>