Impact of Daily Screen Time on Headache Patterns and Musculoskeletal Pain in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a prevalent source of chronic orofacial pain. Increased digital device usage has raised concerns regarding its contribution to musculoskeletal complaints. This study assessed the association between daily screen time exposure and the prevalence of headache and widespread musculoskeletal pain among patients with TMD in Navi Mumbai.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 20 patients diagnosed with TMD based on DC/TMD criteria. Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire and standardized clinical examination. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v21.0. Associations were evaluated using Chi-square test and Pearson’s correlation, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Frequent episodic TTH was observed in 40% of participants, new daily persistent headache in 25%, and migraine without aura in 15%. Widespread musculoskeletal pain was reported by 75% of the cohort. Screen time exceeding four hours per day demonstrated a statistically significant association with headache occurrence and widespread pain, with a moderate positive correlation noted between screen duration and WPI scores (r = 0.41).

Conclusion: Higher daily screen exposure was significantly associated with increased headache prevalence and musculoskeletal symptom burden among TMD patients. Incorporating ergonomic counselling and digital-use assessment into routine orofacial pain management may assist in mitigating symptom severity. Larger multi-centre studies are recommended to validate these findings.

Keywords:

Screen time, Temporomandibular disorders, Headache, Musculoskeletal pain, Visual display terminal syndrome

References

Fernandes G, Gonçalves DA, Conti P. Musculoskeletal disorders. Dent Clin North Am 2018;62:553–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cden.2018.05.004

Zieliński G, Pająk-Zielińska B, Ginszt M. Global prevalence of temporomandibular disorders: a meta-analysis. J Clin Med 2024;13:1365. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13051365

Ferreira CLP, Silva MAMR, Felício CM. Signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in women and men. Codas 2016;28:17–21. https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20162014218

Jerjes W, Upile T, Abbas S, Kafas P, Vourvachis M, Rob J, et al. Muscle disorders and dentition-related aspects in temporomandibular disorders. Int Arch Med 2008;1:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1755-7682-1-23

Reid Chassiakos YL, Radesky J, Christakis D, Moreno MA, Cross C, Hill D, et al. Children and adolescents and digital media. Pediatrics 2016;138:e20162593. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-2593

Parihar JKS, Jain VK, Chaturvedi P, Kaushik J, Jain G, Parihar AK. Computer vision syndrome. Med J Armed Forces India 2016;72:270–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mjafi.2016.03.016

Kim H, Kim SJ, Hwang S. VDT syndrome among university students. Work 2024;77:23–36. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-220265

Briggs A, Straker L, Greig A. Upper quadrant postural changes in school children. Ergonomics 2004;47:790–819.

Graff-Radford SB, Abbott JJ. Temporomandibular disorders and headache. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am 2016;28:335–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cden.2006.09.005

Yakkaphan P, Smith JG, Chana P, Renton T, Lambru G. Temporomandibular disorder and headache prevalence. Cephalalgia Rep 2022;5:25158163221097352. https://doi.org/10.1177/25158163221097352

Nakazawa T, Okubo Y, Suwazono Y, Kobayashi E, Komine S, Kato N, et al. Duration of daily VDT use and subjective symptoms. Am J Ind Med 2002;42:421–6. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.10133

Yazici B, Yolacan S. Comparison of normality tests. J Stat Comput Simul 2007;77:175–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/10629360600678310

Bittencourt JV, Rio JPM, Corrêa LA, Reis FJJ, Ferreira ADS, Nogueira LAC. Relationship between WPI and pain mapping. BrJP 2023;6:5–10. https://doi.org/10.5935/2595-0118.20230003-en

Rampurawala HT, Rampurawala SH. Screen time and musculoskeletal neck pain in children. medRxiv 2024. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.28.24306242

Fricton J. Myogenous temporomandibular disorders. Dent Clin North Am 2007;51:61–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cden.2006.10.002

Levin M. International classification of headache disorders (ICHD-III). Headache 2013;53:1383–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.12189

Montagni I, Guichard E, Carpenet C, Tzourio C, Kurth T. Screen time exposure and headaches in young adults. Cephalalgia 2016;36:1020–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/0333102415620284