Review

Migraine headache and temporomandibular disorders show significant overlap in the area or distribution of pain, the gender prevalence and age distribution. Temporomandibular disorders may cause headaches per se, worsen existent pri-mary headaches, and add to the burden of headache disorders. The patients with combined migraine and tension-type headaches had a higher prevelance of temporomandibular disorders. Evidence supporting a close relationship include the increased masticatory muscle tenderness in migrainuers compared and improvement in headache symptoms with traditional TMD treatment. Key words: temporomandibular disorders; migraine headache. HEADACHE Headache is the most common neurological symptom encountered in pri-mary care, and also in general neurological practice. In most cases there is no serious underlying cause. Recurring headaches occur in 76 % of women and 57% of men [1,2]. The incidence of headache is 39 % at age six and increases to 70 % by 15 years of age. [1] Headache afflicts a large portion of the population and with its varying severity can result in discomfort, disruption of daily activity, and occasionally debilitating pain. Although about 30 % of headache sufferers are periodically functionally impaired, many do not seek medical care [3]. Migraine is a familial paroxysmal neurological disorder characterized by spontaneous or triggered attacks of headache that are variably associated with autonomic disturbance like nausea or pallor, heightened sensitivity to external stimuli (scotoma, paraesthesiae, dizziness) and less often signs as hemiparesis or aphasia. The attacks usually last 4-72 hours. Migraine headaches affect 18 % o