Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016:17:41.
doi: 10.1186/s10194-016-0642-9. Epub 2016 Apr 22.

Prevalence of diagnosed temporomandibular disorders among Saudi Arabian children and adolescents

Amal Al-Khotani  1   2 , Aron Naimi-Akbar  3 , Emad Albadawi  4 , Malin Ernberg  5   6 , Britt Hedenberg-Magnusson  5   6   7 , Nikolaos Christidis  5   6
Affiliations

Prevalence of diagnosed temporomandibular disorders among Saudi Arabian children and adolescents

Amal Al-Khotani et al. J Headache Pain. 2016.

Abstract

Background: Studies have indicated that the prevalence of symptoms and signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are rare early in childhood, but become more prevalent in adolescents and adulthood. To our knowledge, no study has investigated the prevalence of TMD-diagnoses in children in the general population. The aim was thus to investigate the prevalence of TMD-diagnoses among children and adolescents in the general population using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD).

Methods: The current cross-sectional study consisted of 456 children and adolescents, aged between 10 and 18, randomly enrolled from 10 boy's- and 10 girl's- schools in Jeddah. The participants first answered two validated questions about TMD-pain, followed by a clinical examination according to RDC/TMD.

Results: One hundred twenty-four participants (27.2 %) were diagnosed with at least one TMD-diagnosis. Myofascial pain was the most common diagnosis (15 %) followed by disc displacement with reduction, arthralgia, myofascial pain with limited mouth opening and osteoarthrosis. Children diagnosed with myofascial pain more often reported orofacial pain, headache and tooth clenching (p < 0.05), whereas children with arthralgia more often reported orofacial pain and tooth grinding than those without a TMD-diagnosis (p < 0.05). Only 18 % of the subjects in the TMD group had sought a dentist or physician for their pain.

Conclusion: TMD was common among children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Self-reported orofacial pain and headache as well as bruxism were associated with a TMD-pain diagnosis and disc displacement. A surprisingly low percentage of children and adolescents sought treatment by a dentist or physician for their pains.

Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Prevalence; RDC/TMD; Temporomandibular disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the participating children and adolescents. Flow-chart illustrates the inclusion of 456 boys and girls children among the general population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Frequencies of TMD-diagnoses in children and adolescents. Frequencies of TMD-diagnoses according to the RDC/TMD classification among 456 children and adolescents among the general population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Goodman JE, McGrath PJ. The epidemiology of pain in children and adolescents: a review. Pain. 1991;46(3):247–264. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(91)90108-A. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nilsson IM, List T, Drangsholt M. Prevalence of temporomandibular pain and subsequent dental treatment in Swedish adolescents. J Orofac Pain. 2005;19(2):144–150. - PubMed
    1. Salvetti G, Manfredini D, Barsotti S, Bosco M. Otologic symptoms in temporomandibular disorders patients: is there evidence of an association-relationship? Minerva Stomatol. 2006;55(11-12):627–637. - PubMed
    1. Ogura T, Morinushi T, Ohno H, Sumi K, Hatada K. An epidemiological study of TMJ dysfunction syndrome in adolescents. J Pedod. 1985;10(1):22–35. - PubMed
    1. Wanman A, Agerberg G. Mandibular dysfunction in adolescents. I. Prevalence of symptoms. Acta Odontol Scand. 1986;44(1):47–54. doi: 10.3109/00016358609041297. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types