{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,2]],"date-time":"2026-08-02T21:34:24Z","timestamp":1785706464780,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,7]],"date-time":"2026-06-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780790400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) affects a third of the adult population and has been associated with otologic symptoms. These symptoms are frequently misattributed to primary otologic diseases, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. This review aims to summarize the reported prevalence, proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms, and management strategies of otologic manifestations in patients with TMD. Methods: A literature review was conducted using the MeSH terms \u201ctemporomandibular joint disease\u201d and \u201cotologic symptoms.\u201d Five additional searches were performed using \u201ctemporomandibular disease\/dysfunction\u201d combined with each of the five most common otologic symptoms. Meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, reviews, and systematic reviews were prioritized, with preference for studies published within the last 10 years. Inclusion criteria focused on human studies addressing the etiology, clinical presentation, and management of otologic symptoms in TMD populations. Results: The literature supports an association between TMD and otologic symptoms in the absence of primary ear disease. The most commonly described symptoms were aural fullness, otalgia, tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss. Conservative approaches, including occlusal splints, physical therapy, behavioral modification, and pharmacologic therapy, demonstrated partial or complete symptom resolution after management of underlying TMD. Conclusions: The literature demonstrates a consistent association between otologic symptoms and TMD, although the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. While conservative TMD management may improve symptoms, exact mechanisms remain unproven. Clinicians should consider TMD in the differential diagnosis when patients present with unexplained otologic complaints. Further research is necessary to establish causality, confirm the efficacy of management protocols, and improve diagnostic accuracy in this overlapping domain.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics16121757","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T02:32:46Z","timestamp":1780885966000},"page":"1757","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Otologic Manifestations of Temporomandibular Disorders"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Fatemeh","family":"Ebrahimi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5171-4195","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ali","family":"Akbar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA"},{"name":"Department of Surgical Sciences, College of Dentistry, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Kuwait City 13060, Kuwait"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vivian","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vivian F.","family":"Kaul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4804-7062","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Craig B.","family":"Pearl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA"},{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"291","DOI":"10.1177\/10454411970080030401","article-title":"Epidemiology of temporomandibular disorders: Implications for the investigation of etiologic factors","volume":"8","author":"LeResche","year":"1997","journal-title":"Crit. 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