Factors predisposing 6 to 11-year old children in the first stage of orthodontic treatment to temporomandibular disorders

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The etiology of temporomandibular disorders (TMD's) is currently considered multifactorial, involving psychological factors, oral parafunctions, morphological and functional malocclusion. OBJECTIVES: In keeping with this reasoning, we evaluated children who seek preventive orthodontic treatment, to better understand their grievances and to assess the prevalence of TMD signs and symptoms in these patients. METHODS: Two examiners evaluated 65 children aged 6 to 11 years. RESULTS: In our sample, bruxism featured the highest prevalence rate, whereas atypical swallowing displayed the highest rate among predisposing factors. CONCLUSION: We therefore recommend that the evaluation of possible TMD signs and symptoms in children be adopted as routine in the initial clinical examination.

Temporomandibular joint disorders; Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome; Epidemiology; Children