Survey on dental attrition and symptoms of temporomandibular joint of Jilin rural people in China

• Published in: Journal of the Japanese Society for the Temporomandibular Joint Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 156 - 162
• Main Authors: KOMAI, Shinya, TAKAHASHI, Kazuhiro, SUGAWARA, Yumiko, MARUMO, Machiko, TAGUCHI, Yoshio, SASANO, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japanese Society for Temporomandibular Joint 1999
• Subjects: dental attrition; epidemiology; TMJ symptoms
• ISSN: 0915-3004; 1884-4308
• DOI: 10.11246/gakukansetsu1989.11.156

In order to investigate the relationship between dental attrition and temporomandibular joint (TMJ), 532 Jilin rural people in China, who had severe dental attrition, were examined about the dental condition and TMJ symptoms. 1) Individual mean decayed, missing and filling teeth were 0.5, 0.2 and 0.1 teeth, respectively, and malocclusion was found in 12 people (2.3%) and not in 520 people (97.7%) of the total sample. 2) The incidence of dental attrition was found in 99.6% (low grade: 45.7%, severe grade: 53.9%) of the total sample and was in creased with aging, but was not correlate dwith sex. 3) TMJ dysfunction was found in 26 people (4.9%) by clinical examination and not in 506 people (95.1%) of the total sample. There were no patients who have TMJ pain. Painless TMJ sound was found in 25 people (4.7%) and was increased with aging. TMJ sound was more found in those who have severe attrition (7.0%) than slight attrition (2.0%). Thus, dental attrition, harmonized with individual environment, should be considered as a physiological adaptation to keep the good relationship between occlusion and TMJ in the masticatory system. In other words, dental attrition with aging might not induce a TMJ disorders.