Temporo-mandibular disorders are an important comorbidity of migraine and may be clinically difficult to distinguish them from tension-type headache.

UNLABELLED Clinical differentiation between the primary headaches and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) can be challenging. OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between TMD and primary headaches by conducting face to face assessments in patients from an orofacial pain clinic and a headache tertiary center. METHOD Sample consists of 289 individuals consecutively identified at a headache center and 78 individuals seen in an orofacial pain clinic because of symptoms suggestive of TMD. RESULTS Migraine was diagnosed in 79.8% of headache sufferers, in headache tertiary center, and 25.6% of those in orofacial pain clinic (p<0.001). Tension-type headache was present in 20.4% and 46.1%, while the TMD painful occurred in 48.1% and 70.5% respectively (p<0.001). CONCLUSION TMD is an important comorbidity of migraine and difficult to distinguish clinically from tension-type headache, and this headache was more frequent in the dental center than at the medical center.