Association between diabetes mellitus and the risk of temporomandibular disorder: A nationwide population-based study.

Abstract

This study investigated the association between temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) and the potential risk factors of TMD using data from Taiwan's Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database. A cohort of 201,465 individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) and 805,860 matched non-DM controls was observed from 2000 to 2015. To evaluate the risk factors associated with the onset of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted. The Kaplan-Meier method, along with the log-rank test, was applied to assess the cumulative incidence of TMD among DM patients. Results from the Cox analysis indicated that having DM significantly increased the likelihood of developing TMD (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.543; p < 0.001). Furthermore, DM patients who also had rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis faced an even higher risk, being 4.289 and 4.021 times more likely, respectively, to develop TMD compared to those without these comorbidities (p < 0.001). Patients with DM had 2.543 times the probability of experiencing TMD events than patients without DM. Rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis were associated with the highest and second highest risk of patients with DM subsequently developing TMD. Our results provide crucial indications to prevent TMD in patients with DM and improve their quality of life.