Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between general physical activity level and TMD pain in Koreans in a large-scale national database established through a nationwide survey. Methods: Data from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition ExaminationSurvey (KNHANES IV), which was conducted from 2007 to 2009, were analysed. In total, 16 941 participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, TMD-related variables, and general physical activity level were collected. Participants were divided into moderate-and low-intensity exercise groups according to their physical activity levels. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, adjusting for sociodemographic and other covariates. Results:The adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval; CI) for TMD pain was 1.373 (1.017-1.854) for people doing moderate-intensity exercises and 0.797 (0.629-1.008) among people doing low-intensity exercises. Those who did moderateintensity exercises had significantly more TMD pain. This was higher in the 30-to 39-year age group (OR: 1.991, 95% CI: 1.137-3.488), with significantly higher risk for TMD pain in those who did moderate-intensity exercise, whereas low-intensity exercise significantly decreased the risk for TMD pain in the same age group (OR: 0.625, 95% CI: 0.409-0.958). Conclusions:Moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with more TMD pain.Patients with TMD should avoid high-intensity level exercises and continue low-intensity exercises to prevent pain aggravation. CHO et al. previous studies in terms of pain levels and disease duration. Some reports indicate that regular physical activity decreases pain, 9,10 but a few studies have suggested further pain aggravation with physical activity. 10 Exercise effectively reduces pain symptoms, even in patients with chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia and lower back pain. 11,12 However, clinical observations also suggest that many patients with musculoskeletal pain experience an increase in pain and fatigue during exercise or even while conducting simple daily activities. [13][14][15] Unfortunately, previous literature on the interaction between physical activity and musculoskeletal disease status has mostly focused on general chronic pain syndromes such as lower back pain and fibromyalgia, while papers concentrating on orofacial pain (including TMD) are scarce. The few studies concerning TMD have been limited to investigating the effects of specific exercises developed to relax the masticatory muscles and improve mandibular movement. |No study has investigated the association between general physical activity level and TMD symptoms. Since the patient's physical activity level could affect TMD pain severity, the relationship between the two should be examined in order to inform the development of accurate guidelines for prescribing exercise to patients with TMD and to prevent further damage from inappropriate levels of physical activity. Accordingly, this study investiga...

Patients presenting with nonspecific EF may have TMD, which can be effectively diagnosed using TMJ-MRI. The present study revealed the causal relationship between nonspecific EF and abnormal TMJ findings based on MRI. Individualized TMD treatments based on TMJ-MRI led to improved treatment outcomes with special regard to nonspecific EF LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:1692-1698, 2018.