Effect of Cigarette Smoking On Pain Intensity of TMD Patients: A Pilot Study

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking (CS) on pain intensity in a sample of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients, 352 clinical charts were reviewed. Subjects were first divided into two groups: smokers (YS) and nonsmokers (NS); then, YS were further divided into three subgroups: light smokers (LS), moderate smokers (MS), and heavy smokers (HS). Overall TMD pain intensity was higher in YS, compared to NS, and a correlation was found between pain intensity and the number of cigarettes smoked in a day by each subject. A significant difference was evident between NS and HS. The results were not evident in males; age was not correlated either with smoking or pain intensity, and the effect of CS on pain intensity was not correlated with any particular TMD diagnosis. CS seems to be a relevant factor affecting the intensity of TMD pain, thus, control of smoking habits should be considered when treating TMD patients.

Effect of smoking status and nicotine dependence on pain intensity and outcome of treatment in Indian patients with temporomandibular disorders: A longitudinal cohort study

“…[910111213] The key finding in this study appears to be that YS show higher TMD pain intensity and respond less favorably to treatment than NS or FS. This outcome supports the theory that smoking increases pain and pain reporting.…”

“…[68] Studies of different patient populations have also demonstrated that smoking is associated with greater pain intensity. [10131519] Yunus et al . 's study, which adjusted for education and age, found a positive relationship between smoking and pain in patients with fibromyalgia.…”

“…Two retrospective chart reviews have revealed that smokers with TMD reported higher pain intensity and life interference from pain than nonsmokers (NS) with TMD. [1011] On the other hand, a prospective cohort study spanning 6 years evaluated whether smoking influenced the presence and/or development of signs and symptoms of TMD. No differences were found between the cohort of smokers and the cohort of NS with regard to the presence or development of TMD signs and symptoms.…”

Pain, nicotine, and smoking: Research findings and mechanistic considerations.

“…An early national survey of pain in the United States revealed a positive correlation between pain and smoking, such that as self-reported pain severity increased, there was a tendency for respondents to smoke more and exercise less (Sternbach, 1986). More recently, dose-response relations between been pain intensity/disease severity and the number of cigarettes smoked per day have been observed among smokers in the general population who endorsed significant past-week pain (Hahn, Rayens, Kirsh, & Passik, 2006), and persons with temporomandibular disorder (Melis, et al, 2010), orofacial pain (Riley, et al, 2004), fibromyalgia (Yunus, et al, 2002), rheumatoid arthritis (Saag, et al, 1997), and chronic back pain (Andersson, Ejlertsson, & Leden, 1998; Deyo & Bass, 1989; Kaila-Kangas, Leino-Arjas, Riihimaki, Luukkonen, & Kirjonen, 2003; Oleske et al, 2004; Scott, Goldberg, Mayo, Stock, & Poitras, 1999). Current smoking has also been positively associated with ratings of pain severity among general chronic pain patients (Davidson, Davidson, Tripp, & Borshch, 2005; Fishbain, et al, 2007; Weingarten, et al, 2008), persons with painful temporomandibular joint disorders (Weingarten, Iverson, et al, 2009), patients evaluated at a specialized fibromyalgia treatment program (Weingarten, Podduturu, et al, 2009), persons with cancer (Daniel et al, 2009; Ditre et al, 2011; Logan et al, 2010), and persons with herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia (Parruti et al, 2010).…”

Use of common stimulants and awake bruxism – a survey study

“…Melis et al findings suggested that control of smoking habits should be considered during TMD patients' treatment. [28].…”