Robinson, L J, Durham, J, Newton, J L · Journal of oral rehabilitation · 2016 · DOI
This review looked at studies examining how often jaw and facial pain disorders (TMD) occur together with ME/CFS. Researchers found that between 21-32% of people with ME/CFS also reported jaw pain problems, and when ME/CFS was combined with fibromyalgia, this number rose to 50%. However, the quality of existing research on this topic is limited, and better studies with consistent diagnostic methods are needed to understand this connection.
Both TMD and ME/CFS are thought to involve central nervous system hypersensitivity, suggesting they may share underlying biological mechanisms. Understanding their comorbidity could reveal common treatment targets and help explain why some ME/CFS patients experience severe jaw and facial pain, potentially improving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
This review does not establish causation—it cannot determine whether TMD causes ME/CFS, ME/CFS causes TMD, or if both result from a third underlying mechanism. The wide variation in reported comorbidity (0-50%) and reliance on self-reported diagnoses means the true rate of overlap remains uncertain. The study also does not identify specific shared biological pathways.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Robinson, L J, Durham, J, & Newton, J L (2016). A systematic review of the comorbidity between Temporomandibular Disorders and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Journal of oral rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.12367
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-robinson-2016-systematic-review,
author = {Robinson, L J and Durham, J and Newton, J L},
title = {A systematic review of the comorbidity between Temporomandibular Disorders and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of oral rehabilitation},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1111/joor.12367},
note = {PubMed: 26549386},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/robinson-2016-systematic-review},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/robinson-2016-systematic-review
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