Original Article

Self-Medication Profile of Adult Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders in Southeast Brazil

Abstract

Background: Patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) often have orofacial pain and may use medication without professional prescription. Self-medication and inappropriate drug intake may cause serious health problems. This cross-sectional study evaluated the self-medication profile of TMD patients, the most used medications and their effect, and the relation between self-medication and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: A non-representative sample (n=358) consisted of consecutive adult patients seeking TMD treatment in specialized referral centers for orofacial pain of two universities in São Paulo city, Brazil. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the study variables before the TMD treatment: self-medication history, TMD pain intensity, sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, schooling and socioeconomic levels. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression models at the 0.05 significance level.

Results: Almost 60% of 358 TMD patients reported self-medication. Patients with severe TMD were 4.7 times more likely to self-medicate when compared to patients with low TMD intensity (O=5.7; 95% CI=2.4; 13.3; P=0.043), as well as female patients were 30% more likely to self-medicate compared to male patients (OR=2.3; 95% CI=1.1; 5.1; P<0.001). The other independent variables were not associated with self-medication. The frequencies of moderate and severe TMD in women were larger than in those in men (P<0.001). Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs were the most used medications. Regarding medication efficacy, 82% of patients reported some improvement after use, but 9% reported side-effect sickness.

Conclusion: Self-medication is common among TMD patients attending specialized clinics, and this inappropriate practice is more likely to occur in women and in patients with severe signs and symptoms of TMD.

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IssueVol 51 No 5 (2022) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v51i5.9414
Keywords
Self-medication Temporomandibular disorder Orofacial pain Analgesics
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How to Cite
1.
de Campos T, Katekawa L, Shinkai R, Furuyama R, Missaka R, Mita D, de Oliveira AP. Self-Medication Profile of Adult Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders in Southeast Brazil. Iran J Public Health. 2022;51(5):990-998.