Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 51 5 2022 05 08 990 998 Tomie de Campos Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Lena Katekawa Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Rosemary Shinkai Postgraduate Program in Dentistry, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil Ricardo Furuyama Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Reinaldo Missaka Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Daniela Mita Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Ana Paula de Oliveira Postgraduate Program in Biophotonics Applied to Health Sciences, University Nove de Julho, São Paulo, Brazil 2020 12 07 2021 02 13 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. https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/23086 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/23086/7585