Headache and jaw locking comorbidity with daytime sleepiness.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between craniofacial pain symptoms (painful conditions present in the cranium and face, including jaw joint-related pathology and primary headache conditions) and daytime sleepiness, determined by the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), to correlate comorbidity as well as potential predictive factors.

METHODS: 1,171 patients seeking care for chronic pain and/or sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs) at 11 international treatment centers were included in the study. Patients completed the ESS and identified their primary craniofacial pain and sleep pathology symptoms. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were performed to determine comorbidities between craniofacial pain symptoms and daytime sleepiness, and factors predictive of higher ESS scores.

RESULTS: There was high comorbidity of some craniofacial pain symptoms and high ESS scores, including headaches. In addition, for the first time to our knowledge, orthopedic craniofacial dysfunction (i.e., jaw locking) was correlated with, and predictive of, high ESS scores.