Believe it or not, most of the research out there shows that women are more prone to TMD (Temporomandibular Disorders) issues than men. There are a few theories on this that might be interesting to investigate. First of all, women are regarded as generally being more sensitive than men and even more nurturing. This might explain why they would feel more pain or be more aware if there is a problem with the body. And being the nurturer in the family means being more aware of not only their own pain, but the pain of others. Maybe this is why the new patients that we see are mostly women.
Another factor with women experiencing more TMD is that the disease process known as EDS (Ehler Danlos Syndrome) is far more common in women than men. In fact, the most common subtype of EDS (hEDS- hypermobile EDS) shows that 90% of the patients are women. This number is staggering. And with the more common forms of EDS, it turns out that the prevalence is roughly 70% women and only 30% men have it. Again, this is a remarkable difference that exists in a disease process that greatly affects TMD. With EDS the ligaments and joints are all looser than they should be so the discs on top of the jaw bones (the condyles) are far more likely to slip off or become displaced…
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