The impact of tinnitus on the quality of life in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION The most common otological symptoms in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are ear fullness, tinnitus and ear pain. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of tinnitus on the quality of life for patients with TMD. METHOD This is a quantitative, cross-sectional retrospective study. The sample consisted of 19 individuals with TMD, 17 (89.47%) females and 2 (10.53%) male, mean age 53.5 years. Data collection consisted of: anamnesis, pure tone audiometry, acuphenometry and application of the Portuguese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (Brazilian THI). RESULTS 63.12% had had tinnitus for less than five years, and 15.79% had tinnitus that sounded like whistling, rain and/or a cricket. There was a predominance of laterality in the right ear (42.11%). 52.63% of the subjects reported that their tinnitus is continuous, while 31.58% stated that it lasts for days, and 47.37% report that it is common. The audiometry revealed mean audiometric thresholds above 25 dB HL in the high frequencies (3000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz) bilaterally. In acuphenometry, the average loudness of the tinnitus was 21 dB SL the right ear and 17.85 dB SL in the left ear, and the average tinnitus pitch was 3775 Hz in the right ear and 3750 Hz in the left ear. The total THI score was 37.8 points. It appears that there is significant correlation between the THI scale, time of tinnitus duration and its occurrence. CONCLUSION Tinnitus reported in patients with TMD caused moderate impact on quality of life and can be seen in the presence of background noise although daily activities can still be performed.