Does a dose-response relation exist between spinal pain and temporomandibular disorders?

Table 1 Characteristics of the study population, with spinal pain as independent variable

	SP-0	SP-1	SP-2	SP-3
Number, men/women	127/128	54/53	93/61	49/51
Mean age, men/women (years)	40.4/42.9	41.3/37.6	38.9/38.7	41.4/39.4
Age range, men/women (years)	20–64/23–62	25–65/26–60	20–59/23–59	25–56/24–61
Intensity of neck pain		3.4	5.2	6.5
Intensity of shoulder pain		3.2	5.2	6.6
Intensity of low back pain		3.7	5.3	6.6
Impact of neck/shoulder pain on ADL		2.1	3.7	6.0
Impact of low back pain on ADL		3.0	4.3	6.7

The Table shows the number of subjects, as well as gender, mean age and age range in the study groups. Mean values (assessed on 11-point numerical rating scales) of pain intensity in the spinal region, and pain interference with activities of daily living (ADL) are shown. Mean values are calculated among those who reported the specific pain location. SP-0 = without spinal pain; SP-1 = with mild spinal pain; SP-2 = with moderate spinal pain; and SP-3 = with disabling spinal pain and attending a vocational rehabilitation programme.

ISSN: 1471-2474