Investigation of the presence and relationship between temporomandibular disorder and oral parafunctions in dental assistant students: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim In this cross‐sectional descriptive study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and oral parafunctions in dental assistant students and to evaluate the effects of gender and education years. Methods The results of 105 individuals (mean age: 20.72 ± 3.51 years; 75 females, 30 males) were analyzed in this descriptive cross‐sectional study, which included student participants who received dental assistant education program from Erciyes University Vocational Health College. The Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI) questionnaire was used to define the presence and symptoms of TMD, and the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC) questionnaire was used to determine the oral parafunctions of individuals. Fisher's exact, Mann–Whitney U, Kendall tau‐b, and Spearman correlation and linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. Results Any level of TMD was detected in 64.8% of all individuals included in the study, and most of these patients were women (74.3%). No significant difference was found between the TMD prevalence of the first‐ and second‐grade students based on the years of education of the participants (p = 0.614). Considering the sex and class parameters, statistically significant weak (r = 0.378 for females; r = 0.375 for the first grade) and middle (r = 0.418 for males; r = 0.478 for the second grade) degree positive correlation was determined (p < 0.01) between the OBC and TMD scores for both parameters. Conclusion The prevalence of TMD is higher in dental assistant students, especially females, and this is associated with certain degrees of oral parafunctions.

Association Between Stress and Parafunctional Habits Among Undergraduate Healthcare Students of Pakistan

“…In the current study, 65.2% of the study participants were females and a majority of the respondents had stress which lead to the development of parafunctional habits progressing to temporomandibular disorders. [11][12][13][14][16][17] The most widespread parafunctional habit seen in the present study was lip biting in 30% of the students which was in agreement with the results of Malik et al whereas other studies observed chewing gums as the most common one. 16,[18][19] Thumb sucking was found to be least prevalent which was in agreement with Malik et al findings although the least prevailing parafunctional habit narrated by Butt et al was chewing gums.…”

“…8,16 Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders as a consequence of oral parafunctional habits was found to be higher in dental students as reported by different studies. [13][14][15] The stress experienced by students had a significant association with clenching and grinding of teeth and a close relationship between bruxism and anxiety was also reported by Homeida et al 14 Bruxism is described as the clenching or grinding of teeth whether awake or sleeping. It's generally done unconsciously, and most individuals aren't aware of it.…”

Etiologic Factors of Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review of Literature Containing Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) and Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) from 2018 to 2022

“…The OBC is a questionnaire that patients complete to evaluate oral and orofacial parafunctional disorders. The OHIP questionnaire is utilized to assess the effect of oral conditions on an individual’s quality of life, encompassing physical, psychological, and social well-being [ 63 ]. In contrast, the two papers that failed to confirm the correlation between oral habits and quality of life employed questions from the RDC/TMD questionnaire and their questionnaires, which relied on YES/NO responses.…”

Light and Affordable Vision System for Mouth Opening–Closing Movement Deviation Assessment in Women with Mild Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

“…We suspect that this may be related to the occurrence of parafunctional activities of the masticatory system. Parafunctions, as non-physiological activities habitually performed within the masticatory system, usually occur against the background of stress [29] and can be asymmetric [30,31]. Examples of parafunctional activities that can be included here are: sucking or biting the lip or cheek on one side, biting objects, or playing with the tongue [30,32].…”

“…Parafunctions, as non-physiological activities habitually performed within the masticatory system, usually occur against the background of stress [29] and can be asymmetric [30,31]. Examples of parafunctional activities that can be included here are: sucking or biting the lip or cheek on one side, biting objects, or playing with the tongue [30,32]. It would seem, therefore, that habitually repeated asymmetric activities could affect deviations in jaw movement.…”