Protective masks during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Any relationship with temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain?

BackgroundWearing protective face masks has been one of the indispensable measures to prevent droplets and aerosol particles transmission during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. ObjectivesThis observational cross-sectional survey investigated the different types and modalities of protective mask wearing and the possible association with referred signs of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain by respondents. MethodsAn online questionnaire was developed, calibrated and administered anonymously to subjects with an age of >= 18 years. It consisted of different sections: demographics, type and wearing modalities of the protective masks, pain in the preauricular area, noise at the temporomandibular joints and headache. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical software STATA. ResultsThe questionnaire received 665 replies mainly from participants aged between 18 and 30 years (315 males and 350 females). The healthcare professionals were 37% of participants, 21.2% of them were dentists. The Filtering Facepiece 2 or 3 (FFP2/FFP3) mask was used by 334 subjects (50.3%), and 578 (87%) wore the mask with two elastics behind the ears. Pain while wearing the mask was referred by 400 participants, and 36.8% of them referred pain with a consecutive use of more than 4 h (p = .042). 92.2% of participants did not report any preauricular noise. Headache associated with the FFP2/FFP3 was referred by 57.7% of subjects (p = .033). ConclusionThis survey highlighted the increased referred the presence of discomfort in the preauricular area and headache possibly associated with a prolonged use of protective face masks for more than 4 h during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.