Temporomandibular disorders and associated factors in Brazilian teenagers: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and associated variables among adolescents from 16 to 18 years of age in their senior year of high school in the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, in 2005.

Materials and methods: The studied variables were gender, self-esteem and nervous behavior, type of occlusion, and use of orthodontic appliances. In this cross-sectional study, the nonpatient population comprised 410 adolescents attending private and state schools. The data collection was conducted using 2 questionnaires, the first of which was used to evaluate the prevalence of TMD and the second to assess self-esteem. A clinical examination was conducted for the occlusion aspect of the evaluation.

Results: The prevalence of TMD was 16.3% in the study group and there was no statistical difference between occlusions judged as normal or as malocclusions (P = .1148). There was a statistically significant association between students who had previously undergone orthodontic treatment and TMD (P = .0033, odds ratio: 3.08). The students classified in the low self-esteem group showed a significant increase in TMD (P= .0140). The group that classified themselves as nervous also showed an increase (P = .0034), with a higher prevalence also found in females (P = .0021).

Conclusions: This study suggests that low self-esteem and gender may be more frequently related than dental factors to TMD in adolescents.