Ongoing Assessment of Oral Habits in Common Migraine and Nonheadache Populations

Abstract

Prior research supports an association between oral habits and migraine pain. This study extended the research by collecting ongoing assessment of frequency ratings of oral habits. A group of common migraine (N = 8) and nonheadache (N = 8) subjects rated the daily frequency of three oral habits, teeth clenching, jutting the jaw, and resting the chin or side of the face on the hand. Participants recorded a single daily measurement of each variable each evening on a 0 (“not at all”) to 10 (”almost always”) scale. Data were collected over 28 consecutive days for all subjects except two migraineurs, one of whom recorded for 21 days and the other for 25 days. As predicted, one-tailed t tests revealed significant differences between groups on mean daily teeth clenching and hands on the face. Jaw jutting was not significantly different. Discussion focuses on the need for continued research in this area.

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Notes on contributors

Robert A. Moss

Robert A. Moss, Ph.D.

Dr. Moss received his M.S. in 1979 and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1981 from the University of Georgia. Formerly an associate professor at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Moss is now in private practice in Greenville, South Carolina.

Dr. Moss has served in the clinics of several hospitals and was the principal researcher in a study of orofacial pain, funded by the National Institute for Dental Research.

He has had articles published in several professional journals and has presented papers at a number of seminars. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, and the International/American Association for Dental Research.