Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorders in the Korean Children and Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 35 - 40
• Main Authors: Kim, Ah-Hyeon, Lim, Hyun-Dae, An, So-Youn, Lee, Je-Woo, Ra, Ji-Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Interview survey; Adolescent; Korean; Temporomandibular joint disorders; Child; Symptoms
• ISSN: 2288-9272

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of the symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in Korean children and adolescents using representative samples and questionnaires. Methods: A survey involving the interview of 10-, 12-, and 15-year-old children and adolescents regarding the symptoms of TMD was conducted as a part of the 2010 National Oral Health Surveys. The study population included 18,112 subjects (male, 9,734; female, 8,378). The interview involved three questions related to the symptoms of TMD. The prevalence of symptoms of TMD, correlation of the symptoms with sex and age, and the difference in the number of symptoms according to sex and age were analyzed. Results: Among the symptoms of TMD in children and adolescents, the prevalence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds during mouth opening was 13.0%, while those of TMJ pain and limitation were 3.1% and 4.3%, respectively. While the prevalence of TMJ sounds during mouth opening did not show any statistically significant difference between the sexes, the rates of prevalence of TMJ pain and limitation of mouth opening in were higher in the female subjects than the male (p<0.05). It was also observed that the older the subjects, the higher the prevalence of TMJ sounds, TMJ pain, and limitation of mouth opening (p<0.05). The number of symptoms of TMD was found to be increased among female subjects as well as the older ones (p<0.05). Conclusions: There are variations in the prevalence of symptoms of TMD among Korean children and adolescents according to sex and age, which is consistent with the results of previous studies. It is necessary to conduct a national cohort study to evaluate the risk factors for TMD in children and adolescents.