ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
The goal of the present study was to assess the frequency of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) subtypes in individuals that search for specialized care, identifying the subtypes of TMD, muscular and/or articular, in addition to relating each subtype with variables such as gender and age.
METHODS:
In this context, after a screening, 270 individuals, aged between 18 and 70 years, were selected. All data were acquired using the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) instrument.
RESULTS:
Among the 267 patients, 88.7% (n = 237) were female and 11.3% (n = 30) were male, with a mean age of 42±11.8 years. In this study, the predominance of joint/muscle TMD was evidenced (51.7%; n = 138), followed by only muscle TMD (47.5%; n = 127) and lastly, joint TMD (0.8%; n = 2). Important correlations (p>0.05) were not identified when comparing TMD subtypes with the variables gender and age, according to chi-square test. By relating the diagnosis to the TMD subtype, it was evidenced that bilateral myalgia was the most prevalent in muscle TMD (n = 100; 37.4%) and articular/muscular (n = 112; 41.9%). The other variables did not show significant statistics, neither moderate nor strong correlation.
CONCLUSION:
In this research, all TMD subtypes were found, with a clear predominance of joint/muscle type of TMD, followed by muscle only, especially in females aged between 39 and 48 years.
Keywords:
Diagnosis; Prevalence; Temporomandibular joint disorders
HIGHLIGHTS
The predominant type of TMD was joint/muscular.
More frequent in female individuals.
Individuals between the ages of 39 and 48 were more affected.