Anamnestic Index Severity and Signs and Symptoms of TMD

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and to characterize the symptoms and clinical signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) related to each severity category of Fonseca's anamnestic index in a sample of Brazilian young adults (mean age 21.61+/-1.91 years, 87% females and 13% males), by the application of an anamnestic index proposed by Fonseca (1992) and by clinical examination considering mandibular range of motion and tenderness to palpation of stomatognathic system structures. A significant number of participants were classified with mild TMD (43.2%) and moderate TMD (34.8%). Pain frequency during mastication, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, and TMJ sounds were shown to be good predictors of TMD severity. Neck pain, headache, difficulty during mouth opening and lateral deviation, and tenderness to palpation of masticatory sites and during protrusion accompanied the TMD severity but failed to demonstrate differences between moderate and severe groups, showing a poor ability to determine TMD severity progression. This study suggests that not only the frequency of signs and symptoms of TMD should be determined, but also symptom severity and its relationship to the presence of clinical signs in order to discriminate patients with real treatment needs in nonpatient samples.

Severity of temporomandibular disorders in women: validity and reliability of the Fonseca Anamnestic Index

“…The inadequacy of these questions had already been reported by Bevilaqua-Grossi et al 5 and by Campos et al, 10 who reported the low internal consistency and low predictive ability of these items. The contribution of these items to the "severity of temporomandibular disorders" construct had not yet been assessed.…”

“…In Brazil, Fonseca's Anamnestic Index (IAF) has frequently been used [5][6][7][8] to classify individuals according to TMD severity (mild, moderate, severe and no TMD), and also to screen patients for further developments in diagnosing TMD. 9 The IAF is a scale proposed in the Portuguese language, consisting of 10 questions whose answers are arranged in a three-point scale format (no, sometimes, yes).…”

“…Braz Oral Res., (São Paulo) 2014;28(1): [1][2][3][4][5][6] Although screening for TMD in the population is the concern of researchers, different facets of TMD and different measuring instruments have been used in different studies (e.g. TMD-type diagnosis, symptoms, severity and/or mandibular limitation).…”

Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in postmenopausal women and relationship with pain and HRT

“…Most, however, are not aware of the disorder that may be affecting them or of any sort of possible treatment or prognosis 13 . Although the epidemiology of TMD has been studied 6 , reported prevalence rates vary broadly, reflecting important differences in samples, criteria, and methods used for collecting the information 14,15 . Epidemiological studies suggest that symptoms related to TMD predominantly occur in young adults and in females 14,16 .…”

“…The prevalence of TMD symptoms ranges from 16% to 59% in studies of non-patient populations 4,5 . On the other hand, clinical studies have reported higher prevalences (45% to 50%) and are more likely to identify severely affected patients 6,7,8 . Cross-sectional epidemiological studies of specific populations have shown that about 75% have at least one sign of TMD and about 33% have at least one symptom 9,10 , with pain being the predominant symptom.…”