Pre-natal nutrition as risk factor for painful temporomandibular disorders and headaches in young adults.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between prenatal nutrition and the development of painful temporomandibular disorders (p-TMD) and headaches in offspring during young adulthood.

BACKGROUND

p-TMD are a common source of chronic orofacial pain and are often comorbid with headaches. Dietary quality may influence chronic musculoskeletal pain, but its role on the development of p-TMD and headache is less known.

METHODS

The study was conducted as a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Survey data from the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) were analyzed. Data included prenatal nutritional information assessed using a healthy eating index (HEI) derived from a food frequency questionnaire collected between 1996 and 2002 and offspring's p-TMD and headache status at age 18-23 years, assessed in 2021. HEI was categorized into quartile levels of dietary quality. A total of 10,382 individuals had complete data on both exposure and outcome.

RESULTS

No statistically significant association was found between prenatal HEI and offspring's p-TMD status. Offspring of mothers with higher HEI scores were significantly less likely to report one or fewer headaches per month in young adulthood (adjusted OR [aOR] = 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.96, p = 0.006). Specific pre-natal dietary domains associated with reduced headache risk included red meat scores (aOR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99, p = 0.006) and saturated fatty acids (aOR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.99, p = 0.039).

CONCLUSION

Offspring of mothers with higher HEI scores, that is, healthier dietary choices during pregnancy, had significantly lower odds of reporting headaches but not p-TMD in young adulthood. Lower maternal intake of saturated fatty acids and red meat were associated with decreased odds of reporting headaches later in life.