Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are supposed to be also possible risk factors or co- factors for general medical diseases. Correlation to specific headache symptoms, tinnitus and spinal pain disorders are established. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate several signs and symptoms of TMD as a co- factor for frequent headache using a population based sample of the ongoing cross-sectional epidemiological study 'Study of Health in Pomerania' (Ship). Medical, dental and sociodemographic parameters of 3146 representatively and according to age distribution selected subjects (age distribution 20-80 years) were checked for correlations with frequent headache symptoms using a multivariate logistic regression model. Frequent headache was defined asking the question: Do you suffer from following diseases: - headache, if yeas 1. sometimes 2. often.3. always. Only the appearance of sometimes or often headache were used defining the variable. The model was adjusted for age, sex, level of education, income, TMD- symptoms and 32 chronic diseases. Significant values for the calculated odds ratios (OR) for the whole sample were found for pain on palpation of the masticatory muscles: 1-3 muscles painful: OR= 2.6, = muscles painful: OR= 4, tinnitus: OR = 2.8, sleeping disorders: OR= 1.9 and education level: OR= 2.0. The palpation pain of the muscles showed a dose dependence. As not significant turned out, to be smoking, alcohol abuse, and income, questions for pain in the TMJ- area, TMJ clicking, positive questions for several chronic diseases and education level. Gender separated regression models confirmed in general the results. In this study we found, using an adjusted multivariate logistic regression model a significant and dose depended association between frequent headache and masticatory muscle pain. Schlagwörter: Kopfschmerzen, Funktionsstörungen, orofaziales System