Purpose <p>Current literature does not fully clarify how temporomandibular joint impairment relates to occlusal vertical dimension. This study examined the association between occlusal vertical dimension and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a Turkish cohort.</p> Materials and methods <p>This study was conducted by analyzing data obtained from 114 patients who visited the clinic and met the predefined inclusion criteria. For every participant, the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) questionnaire set was completed in full. Clinical assessments were then performed following the RDC/TMD Clinical Examination protocol and were finalized with a detailed extraoral evaluation. All collected data underwent comprehensive statistical processing, and the results were interpreted using a significance threshold of <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05.</p> Results <p>The study revealed that 35.09% of participants exhibited a reduced occlusal vertical dimension, whereas 18.42% showed an increased dimension within the Turkish sample. Vertical dimension was significantly associated with depression (<i>p</i> = 0.035) and was identified as a contributor to movement-related pain (left lateral excursion pain <i>p</i> = 0.02). However, no statistically significant association was detected between occlusal vertical dimension and TMD (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05).</p> Conclusion <p>Contrary to common assumptions, occlusal vertical dimension and TMD do not appear to be related. No significant association was observed between vertical dimension and tooth wear.</p>