Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) is a musculoskeletal pain condition affecting the TMJ, masticatory muscles, and/or associated structures. It is characterized by spontaneous pain and jaw function-induced pain in the TMJ and muscles of mastication. Conditions comorbid with TMJD include fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headache, interstitial cystitis, and chronic tinnitus. The risk factors consistently associated with TMJD are female gender, depression, and preexisting pain conditions. While TMJD pain is estimated to be 1.5–2 times more common in women than in men, the influence of gender on the diagnosis and treatment of TMJD is yet to be evaluated. Future studies identifying the environmental, genetic, biological, and psychosocial risk factors which seem to ‘protect’ the male sex from the development of TMJD will better the prevention and management of this multifaceted disorder.