Prevalence of temporomandibular disorder in children and adolescents from public schools in Southern Portugal

Abstract

Background:The prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in children and adolescents is in the range of 6-68% and can be triggered or aggravated by emotional stress.Aim:The study was to investigate the prevalence of TMD in Portuguese children and adolescents and its association with emotional stress.Materials and Methods:The sample comprised 3,260 students aged 5-19 years. The questionnaire was used to assess the presence of TMD, and was applied in a single moment.Results:TMD was observed in 821 (25.2%) students. The most common symptoms of TMD were: if considered tense or nervous (52%), have headaches (36.8%), and habit of clenching or grinding teeth (27.3%). The girls had a 1.36 higher probability of developing TMD than boys (95% CI: 1.14-1.63; p < 0.001); moreover, students from the older age group had a 2.31 higher probability of developing the disorder (95% CI: 1.85-2.89; p < 0.001). Students who considered themselves tense or nervous presented 8.74 higher probability (95% CI: 7.03-10.86; p < 0.001) of developing TMD.Conclusion:This study showed a high prevalence of TMD in children and adolescents in southern Portugal, and revealed a significant association between this dysfunction and the levels of emotional stress. Female students, older students, and those considered tense or nervous have a higher probability of developing TMD.

Prevalence of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders among Yemeni University students: A prospective, cross-sectional study

“…This is in consistent with others studies [1,15,27,29,30], and inconsistent with others reports (slightly lower than our results) [10,16,24,31,32], In contrast , some studies reported a higher rate of signs and symptoms of TMDs in compared to our fi nding [22,[32][33][34].…”

“…Free of any symptoms TMDs, 20.77 (n =43) had, mild TMD dysfunction (11.11 % were females and 9.66% were males), 12.08 (n= 25) had a moderate TMD dysfunction (7.73% were females and 4.35 were males) and 16.91 % (n = 35) had a severe TMD dysfunction (10.63% were females and 6.28 % were males). A 50.24% (n= 104) were a free of symptoms.…”

“…It is evident from the numerous epidemiologic studies on the occurrence of temporomandibular disorders that signs of temporomandibular disorders appear in about 60% -70% of the general population and yet only about one in four people with signs are actually aware of or report any symptoms [15]. The frequency of severe disorders that are accompanied by headache and facial pain characterized by urgent need of treatment is 1% -2% in children, about 5% in adolescents and 5% -12% in adults [16] . A non-patient population has been reported prevalence rates vary broadly (from 26% to 50%) [17].…”

“…Others epidemiological studies estimated the prevalence of TMDs in various communities including: Southern Portugal (25.2 %) [16]. Caucasian population (23.78% in male and 25.32 in female) [25], Syrian (28%) [26].…”

Magnitude of Bite Force that is Interpreted as Clenching in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders: A Pilot Study

“…In most studies that employed a questionnaire [13][14][15][16], surveys of awake clenching were based on self-reports, and most patients were instructed by dentists to "take care to avoid clenching" and that "you should not be clenching." However, patients may be unaware of the magnitude of bite force that is equivalent to clenching; therefore, they may not be able to follow the advice of the dentist, which may adversely affect the clinical course.…”