Office and ambulatory blood pressure in patients with craniomandibular disorders.

To assess the physiologic response to daily life stress in patients with craniomandibular disorders (CMD), office and ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate were studied in 25 female patients and 25 controls. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between the groups for heart rate before the clinical examination and that in the patient group when compared before and after the clinical examination. Higher values were found for mean daytime systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the control group compared with the patient group (p < 0.05). The mean number of systolic blood pressure > or = 140 mmHg during 24 h and daytime was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the control group than in the patient group. In this study the CMD patients with muscular diagnosis were not more stressed than healthy subjects in the daily activities as evaluated by ambulatory blood pressure measurements.