Background: While evidence is accumulating to propose a specific contribution of sleep disorders and low quality sleep in the pathogenesis of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), management of primary sleep disorders in the process of preventing and treating TMD still remains scientifically unsupported. Objective: To investigate the association of primary sleep disorders with TMD risk in South Korea. Patients and Methods: This study was based on the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort (NHIS-HEALS) of South Korea with 468,882 participants. After excluding participants diagnosed in 2002, those with a diagnosis of a primary sleep disorder in 2003– 2005 were recruited. All participants diagnosed with TMD between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2013 received follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to determine the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for TMD according to the presence or absence of a primary sleep disorder diagnosis. Results: After adjusting for all covariates, primary sleep disorder patients had a 44% higher risk for TMD compared with non-sleep disorder participants (aHR 1.44, 95% CI 1.02– 2.04). The incidence rate of TMD was nearly twice as high in participants with sleep disorders compared with those without (6.08 vs 3.27, per 10⁴ person-years). In subgroup analysis, an association was observed with those over 60 years old or who frequently exercised physically. Conclusion: Primary sleep disorders could be an important independent risk factor for the initiation and maintenance of TMD. Patients with sleep disorders should be monitored for possible co-occurrence of TMD-related symptoms that could aggravate sleep disorders in turn.

This study investigates the differences in health, dietary habits, and quality of life between single-person and multi-person households, with a specific focus on demographic subgroups such as gender and age. Data were drawn from the 2013–2021 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, encompassing 40,839 participants aged 19 and older, and were analyzed using multivariate regression models. The results revealed significant disparities between the two types of households. Single-person male households exhibited poorer dietary quality and higher metabolic risk indicators, such as elevated waist circumference, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure, compared to their multi-person counterparts. In contrast, single-person female households demonstrated slightly better metabolic profiles, including lower body mass index, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, relative to multi-person households. Quality of life, assessed using the EuroQol-5 Dimension, was significantly lower in single-person households, with women reporting higher rates of anxiety, depression, and mobility issues. Subgroup analyses identified pronounced vulnerabilities among single-person males aged 40–59 and single-person females aged 60 and older. These findings highlight the need for tailored public health policies and market strategies to address the distinct needs of diverse single-person household subgroups. Further research should prioritize well-designed studies exploring populations with unique characteristics, such as single-person households, to better understand their specific challenges and requirements compared to multi-person households.

Background: Headache, a highly prevalent neurological disorder, has consistently been linked with an elevated risk of dementia. However, most studies are focused on the relationship with migraine in limited age groups. Therefore, the objective of this research was to look at the link between various type of headaches and dementias based on longitudinal population-based data. Methods and results: Participants diagnosed with headache from 2002 to 2005 were selected and major covariates were collected. The diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and other dementias were observed from 2006 until 2013. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of dementias according to headache type were calculated by Cox proportional hazards regression. A number of 470,652 participants were observed for a mean of 7.6 years (standard deviation: 1.2), for approximately 3.6 million person-years. Both tension type headache (TTH) and migraine elevated the risk of all-cause dementias (TTH, aHR 1.18, 95% CI 1.13–2.24; migraine, aHR 1.18, 95% CI 1.13–2.24). Headaches had a greater influence in females and non-smokers as a risk factor of dementias. Patients with migraine who consumed alcohol had a higher risk of dementia, however this was not true with TTH patients. Among participants without comorbidities, TTH patients were more susceptible to dementia than migraine patients. Headache patients had a higher proportion of females regardless of headache type and approximately 1.5 times more individuals had three or more comorbidities compared to those without headache. Conclusions: Headache could be an independent predictor for subsequent dementia risk. Future studies should focus on clarifying pathogenic pathways and possible dementia-related preventive measures in headache populations.

This study assessed the effect of triweekly interdental brushing for a period of 6 months using the bleeding on full-mouth interdental brushing (BOFIB) index. All participants answered questionnaires and were instructed to clean all interdental areas using an interdental brush at least every second day. A dentist assessed the BOFIB index of 28 participants at baseline and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. We stratified the participants into three groups: IB-NN, those who used the interdental brush less than three times per week both before and after this program; IB-NY, those who used the interdental brush less than three times per week before the program but at least three times per week after the program; and IB-YY, those who used it at least three times per week both before and after the program. Owing to the weekly number of interdental brushings, the IB-YY and the other two groups showed a significant difference at baseline. At the 6-month follow-up, the weekly number of interdental brushings led to a significant difference between the IB-NN and the other two groups. The BOFIB index was lower among the compliant participants than among the noncompliant participants after 3 and 6 months of triweekly interdental brushing.