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Objective: To assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a sample of tinnitus patients and to determine the association between tinnitus, TMD, neck disability, and oral parafunctions., Methods: Seventy-nine tinnitus patients were enrolled and underwent standardized clinical examination for TMD. The tinnitus severity was measured with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). The oral parafunctions were self-reported with the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC). The neck disability was recorded with the Neck Disability Index (NDI)., Results: More than half of the sample presented TMD, and the most frequent diagnosis was TMD pain. Higher THI was observed in TMD-pain individuals, compared to TMD-free (β 18.4; 95%CI 6.7, 30.1; p = 0.002). The OBC showed a significant low-to-moderate positive correlation with the THI (rho= 0.368, p = 0.001), while the NDI did not., Discussion: Standardized assessment of TMD and oral behaviors should be integrated into the routine diagnostic evaluations of tinnitus patients.

The aim of this study was to outline the psychopathological characteristics of a population of outpatients affected by tinnitus and to consider its impact on their mental state and ability to function in major areas of their lives. Seventy-five consecutive tinnitus patients were enrolled on their first visit to the outpatients clinic of the Audiology Department of the 'Federico II' University of Naples, for audiological and psychiatric evaluation. A series of audiometric and vestibular tests was performed for tinnitus rating assessment, and further information was obtained from the patient via a semi-structural interview. For the psychopathological examination, patients underwent the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), by means of which a multiaxial diagnosis (five axes) was expressed, according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). For a better understanding of the personality aspects, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test was administered to a subgroup of 55 subjects whose cultural background permitted their full cooperation. The results of the study show that 58 subjects (77% of the total) met the criteria for psychiatric disorder diagnosis, according to the DSM-IV system: Axis I comprises anxiety, affective and somatoform disorders and psychoses; Axis II comprises personality disorders. Multiple diagnoses were expressed in some subjects. The findings of the examination via MMPI show a high percentage of depression, hysteria, and hypochondria. Although we are not seeking to establish a cause-effect relationship between the unpleasant experience of tinnitus and psychopathological disorders, our findings are consistent with those of other authors. Tinnitus can indeed have severe consequences for the subject's ability to function in many areas of their life. In this paper, the implications of such results for the diagnosis and therapy of tinnitus are discussed.

Tinnitus affects about 10–17% of the population worldwide. In 4% of cases, it is also accompanied by unrelenting and annoying psychological problems. To date, it is still unclear whether tinnitus is in some way correlated with psychopathological distress and, if this is the case, whether it affects the psychopathological profile of the patient by worsening it, or by eliciting its manifestation. The present study assessed whether patients with tinnitus were more likely to have psychopathological distress than those who were not affected by the symptom. The experimental design of the research was based on a case control study. Case patients were defined as subjects affected by idiopathic tinnitus who were referred to the Audiology Clinic of the University of Naples, Italy from April 2003 to March 2004. Inclusion criteria were: 1) patients aged 18–60 years, 2) eight years of education, and 3) new cases of tinnitus. To obtain an appropriate control population, the 'study base' principle was adopted: the control subjects, who came to the same clinic as above from March 2003 to April 2004, shared the same characteristics as the case subjects apart from tinnitus. After giving written informed consent, the two groups completed a brief questionnaire related to audiological history and a standardized self-report inventory relating to psychopathological symptoms (Symptoms Check List (SCL-90)). To verify the correlation between tinnitus and psychopathological disorders, a logistic regression technique was employed. A total of 80 cases and 119 controls were enrolled. Tinnitus was found to be associated with the highest subscale and index levels of the following symptoms: somatisation, obsessive compulsive behaviour, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, General Symptomatic Index, Positive Symptom Total, Positive Symptom Distress Index. Our results indicate that there is an intriguing correlation between tinnitus and psychopathological disorders, especially with respect to anxiety and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]