Efficacy of Oral Habit Amendment in Neck Pain Treatment

Background and Aim: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) can be associated with pain in other areas such as the neck. Multiple causes have been suggested for TMDs; parafunctional habits such as bruxism and clenching are among the most commonly suggested etiologies. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the amendment of oral parafunctional habits in the improvement of TMDs and neck pain. Materials and Methods: This before-and-after interventional study was conducted on 136 patients with TMDs, parafunctional habits, and neck pain. The patients were instructed on how to quit their parafunctional habits and were followed up for two months. The neck pain disability index (NPDI), anamnestic dysfunction index (Ai), and clinical dysfunction index (Di) of TMD were evaluated before and after the modifica-tion of parafunctional habits. Data were analyzed using paired Student’s t-test, Wilcox-on, Mann-U-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests. P