Investigation of the relationship between oral parafunctions and temporomandibular joint dysfunction in Turkish children with mixed and permanent dentition

The Role of Malocclusion and Oral Parafunctions in Predicting Signs and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorders-A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to examine to what extent malocclusion and parafunctional habits contribute to the development of signs and symptoms associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in schoolchildren with mixed dentition in Croatia in a sample of 338 children, aged 9 to 15 years.

METHODS

TMD signs and symptoms assessed by the clinician were joint function and pain, masticatory muscles tenderness, range of mandibular motion, and joint sounds. To evaluate subjective symptoms and parafunctions, children and parents were asked about the presence of headaches, jaw locking, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds, pain during mouth opening, or bruxism, as well as parafunctions like biting pencils or nails, chewing hard candies or ice, daily gum chewing, opening bottles with teeth, engaging in jaw play, thumb-sucking, and clenching/grinding teeth.

RESULTS

At least one symptom of a TMD was pronounced in 142 participants (42.0%). The most commonly reported parafunction was pencil or nail biting, present in 25.1% of participants. Class II malocclusion increased the likelihood by 2.6 times, pencil or nail biting by 2.34 times, and clenching/grinding teeth by 8.9 times that the subject would exhibit at least one TMD symptom.

CONCLUSIONS

Every child with mixed dentition should undergo a brief examination of the TMJ, especially in cases of Class II malocclusion, pencil or nail biting, and teeth clenching or grinding, as these have all been identified as significant risk factors that increase the likelihood of experiencing TMD symptoms. This highlights the need for proactive screening and assessment by healthcare providers to reduce the risk and prevalence of TMDs in affected children and ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.

Dimensional and positional temporomandibular joint osseous characteristics in normodivergent facial patterns with and without temporomandibular disorders

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the dimensional and positional osseous temporomandibular joint features in normodivergent facial patterns with and without temporomandibular disorders.

METHODS

A total of 165 adult patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 79 patients; 158 joints): temporomandibular disorders patients and group 2 (n = 86 patients; 172 joints): non-temporomandibular disorders patients. Three-dimensional positional and dimensional temporomandibular joint characteristics, including glenoid fossa, mandibular condyles, and joint spaces, were assessed by cone beam computed tomography.

RESULTS

The glenoid fossa positions in the three orthogonal planes and height showed statistical significance between the two studied groups. The temporomandibular disorders patients showed higher horizontal and vertical condyle inclinations while anteroposterior inclination was less, and the condyle was positioned more superior, anterior, and lateral in the glenoid fossa. The condyle width and length showed no significance between the two groups, while condyle height was smaller in temporomandibular disorders patients. Anterior and medial joint spaces increased while the superior and posterior joint spaces reduced in temporomandibular disorders patients.

CONCLUSION

There were significant differences between the patients with and without temporomandibular joint disorders in terms of mandibular fossa positions and height as well as condylar positions and inclinations in horizontal and vertical planes together with reduced condylar height and reduced posterior and superior joint spaces in the temporomandibular disorders patients.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The temporomandibular disorder is a multifactorial disorder in which one of these factors is the dimensional and positional characteristics of the temporomandibular joints; including or excluding this factor requires a comprehensive three-dimensional investigation of patients with TMD compared to the normal group under the condition that the facial pattern is average as a confounding factor.

Prevalence of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Among Dental Students in Chennai

The objective was to understand the prevalence of temporomandibular joint disorder among dental students. The study was conducted in Tagore Dental College, Chennai. The questionnaire study included a total of 371 students from years I to V, under the age group of 18-30, who had a history of temporomandibular joint disorders on the day of the survey. Each student was given a semi-structured study questionnaire related to assessing possible causes, assessment of habits, assessment of subjective symptoms, and evaluation of pain. It was analysed using an anamnestic scale as 0: no symptoms; I: mild symptoms; II: severe symptoms. An independent t-test was used to compare the variables. The significance level set at 0.05 (p < 0.05) showed that the prevalence of Temporomandibular disorders was insignificant in the study population due to various contributing factors.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12663-023-01866-y.

Temporomandibular disorders in children and adolescents: A review

BACKGROUND

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are generally observed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40 years. TMD have also been described in children and adolescents but are still not widely detected and treated in routine practice. Through a literature review, this work aims to improve the diagnosis and management of TMD in children and adolescents by dentists.

METHODS

This literature review was performed by a computerized search of the database PubMed for published articles on TMD in children and adolescents. Articles evaluating the prevalence, etiologies and risk factors, diagnosis, signs, and symptoms as well as the comorbidities of TMD, published between 2001 and 2022, were included in this review.

RESULTS

A total of 51 articles were included. Most of studies reported a prevalence of over 20%, with a higher prevalence in females. The two most common diagnoses were myofascial pain and disk displacement with reduction. Headaches were often associated with the condition. The management of TMD in children and adolescents has been poorly studied.

CONCLUSION

TMD frequently affect children and adolescents. Therefore, for prevention purposes, an examination of the masticatory system should be included in the dental check-up. Early diagnosis is essential in order to limit effects on their growth, development, and quality of life. TMD management is not currently validated for children and adolescents. Noninvasive and reversible care should be preferred.

The Impact of Wearing a Face Mask during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Temporomandibular Joint: A Radiological and Questionnaire Assessment

Aim  Several health problems have been reported to be triggered or facilitated by prolonged mask usage during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While wearing a face mask, people tend to push their jaws forward and downward in a repetitive manner to hold their masks in the right position; these jaw motions may induce temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). In this study, we aimed to investigate these repetitive jaw movements while wearing face masks and their effects on TMD. Patients and Methods  Patients who applied with TMD signs between June 2020 and May 2021 were evaluated prospectively. A survey using a questionnaire was conducted to define patients with TMD that caused only by mask-related repetitive jaw movements. Demographic data (age and gender), mean duration of daily mask usage, mask type, and magnetic resonance imaging results were recorded. Results  Prolonged daily mask usage (≥8 hours/day) was significantly higher in patients with mask-related habits (group a) with a rate of 40.4% ( p ≈ 0.001). Also, in this group, the disc displacement with reduction rate (54.6%) was higher compared with other groups ( p ≈ 0.010). On the contrary, patients with no underlying risk factor (group c) showed an unexpected high osteoarthritis rate ( p ≈ 0.029). Conclusions  In this study, we demonstrate that correcting the position of a face mask by repetitive jaw movements can increase the occurrence of TMD. Informing individuals wearing face masks about the risk of TMD and the importance of choosing the appropriate mask size according to the face shape are important issues to be addressed in the near future.

Prevalence of malocclusion, oral parafunctions and temporomandibular disorder-pain in Italian schoolchildren: An epidemiological study

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of malocclusion, temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and oral parafunctions is highly debated in children population.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the prevalence of malocclusion, self-reported oral parafunctions and TMD-pain in Italian schoolchildren and to assess the association between the examined factors.

METHODS

A total of 700 children aged 9-11 years were selected among six public schools in Campania region (Italy). Molar relationship, overjet, overbite and cross-bite were assessed through a clinical examination. Furthermore, the subjects were demanded to fill in a validated questionnaire for TMD-pain screening and the short form of the Oral Behaviours Checklist. Descriptive statistics were used to report the frequencies. The associations between occlusal traits, oral parafunctions and TMD-pain were analysed with a Pearson chi-square test, as expressed by odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. The significance level was set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Molar Class I was the most frequently encountered molar relationship, followed by molar Class II, subdivision and molar Class III. Increased overjet was more common than negative overjet. Posterior cross-bite was observed in 12% of children. TMD-pain was recorded in 14.7% of subjects. High frequency of oral parafunctions was reported in 21.3% of subjects. A significant association was found between TMD-pain and negative overbite. Cross-bite and high frequency of oral parafunctions were associated with TMD-pain.

CONCLUSION

The current results show that malocclusion, self-reported oral parafunctions and TMD-pain are frequent findings among Italian schoolchildren and that some occlusal factors and high frequency of oral parafunctions might be associated with TMD-pain.

Comparison of temporomandibular disorders between menopausal and non-menopausal women

Objectives

Hormonal changes during menopause alter a woman's susceptibility to some disorders. Information regarding the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in menopausal women is limited in the literature. In this study, the prevalence and severity of TMDs were compared between menopausal and non-menopausal women.

Materials and Methods

The study included 140 women (69 premenopausal and 71 postmenopausal) 45 to 55 years of age that were examined in Shiraz Dental School, Shiraz in Iran. The Helkimo clinical dysfunction index (Di) was used to evaluate temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. The data were analyzed using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

Results

Occurrence of TMD was significantly higher in menopausal than non-menopausal women (P<0.001). All the TMD criteria based on Helkimo Di except range of mandibular movement were significantly more common in menopausal women. The range of mandibular movement was not significantly different between menopausal and non-menopausal women (P=0.178).

Conclusion

The results from this study show that TMD can be considered more common and severe in menopausal than non-menopausal women. This finding indicates that, similar to other conditions in menopausal women such as arthritis and osteoporosis, TMD should be taken into consideration by dental and medical professionals.

Prevalence of temporomandibular joint disorder among North Saudi University students

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current investigation was to study the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) among university students of North Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A specifically constructed questionnaire was distributed to 489 university students to investigate the prevalence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) findings among them. The study sample consisted of 346 males and 143 females (age range was 18-25 years). The data were analyzed, and probability values were set at p ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 49.7% of participants had at least one sign or symptom of TMD. Clicking was the most reported finding. Pain in or about the ears/cheeks was the second most common finding. In all, 24.3% of the participants reported one TMJ finding; meanwhile, 0.4% reported the presence of five concurrent TMJ signs and symptoms. Females reported more TMJ signs and symptoms than males (p < 0.05). Science and health students reported more TMD findings than humanitarian college students (p < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

University students in north Saudi Arabia reported high prevalence of TMD. Also, students from science and health colleges reported higher prevalence of TMD findings than humanitarian college students. Clicking and pain are the most prevalent findings of TMD among university students. The results of this investigation highlight the need for additional research to shed more light on the risk factors and findings related to TMD. This will facilitate drawing adequate guidelines for prevention and management of TMD.

Chronic Nail Biting in Youth

Nail biting, a common behavior seen in children, is typically short-lived and does not cause significant problems. However, when nail biting remains unresolved, physical and emotional consequences may occur. Exploring the etiological factors and underlying function of nail biting may help providers recommend appropriate interventions. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(2), 23-26.].

Prevalence and Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders among Undergraduate Medical Students in Association with Khat Chewing

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) among undergraduate medical students in the presence of khat chewing over a period of time.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Totally, 186 medical college students (age < 20 years) were randomly selected for the present study. The study subjects were divided into two groups according to age, under 20 and above 20 years. The study was based on Fonseca's anamnestic index and its questionnaire, which is composed of 10 questions and classifies the severity of TMDs. The obtained data were coded and entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program for analysis using chi-square test at significance level of 5%.

RESULTS

Most of the participants were male (68.8%) students and older than 20 years (63%). Those who reported with khat chewing comprised 31.7%. From the total samples, only 38.0% was classified as having mild TMD and 0.50% were classified as having severe TMD. Poor dental articulation, grinding of teeth, headaches, tense personalities, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) clicking were the most common clinical findings. The mean scores showed no significant difference among gender (p < 0.29) and the khat chewing (p < 0.531) groups for the 10 questions. However, it showed significant difference among age groups (p < 0.025).

CONCLUSION

The majority of subjects complained of mild TMD, while only a few cases showed a moderate TMD among different age groups. The most frequently reported dysfunctions were related to poor dental articulation and grinding of the teeth, frequent headaches, the clicking of joint, and tense personalities. No significant difference was found between gender and khat and nonkhat chewing groups.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Khat chewing is a parafunctional habit and affects dental occlusion (especially cuspal wear) in terms of anterior guidance. Such alterations in occlusion are known to be one of the causative (predisposing) factors of TMD.

Prevalence of Bruxism in Patients with Different Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Diagnoses

The relationship between bruxism and temporomandibular disorders is complex and is not yet clearly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of clinically diagnosed bruxism in 212 patients with different Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) diagnoses, as compared with that in 77 sex- and age-matched TMD-free subjects. A significant association between bruxism and temporomandibular disorders emerged (p < 0.05). The highest prevalence of bruxism was found in patients with the following diagnoses: combined myofascial pain and disk displacement (87.5%); combined myofascial pain, disk displacement, and other joint conditions (73.3%); and myofascial pain (68.9%). In general, it is suggested that bruxism has a stronger relationship with muscle disorders than with disk displacement and joint pathologies, and that such a relationship seems to be independent from the presence of other RDC/TMD diagnoses along with myofascial pain.

Avaliação dos ruídos da articulação temporomandibular em crianças com bruxismo

OBJETIVO: avaliar se há relação entre bruxismo e presença de ruídos articulares em crianças. MÉTODOS: participaram do estudo 48 crianças entre 6 e 9 anos atendidas na Clínica Infantil da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade Nove de Julho. Foram selecionadas 21 crianças com bruxismo e 27 crianças no grupo controle. Um único examinador previamente treinado e "cego" em relação aos grupos realizou exame de palpação manual e auscultação bilateral das Articulações Temporomandibulares com a utilização de estetoscópio, extra-auricular lateral e dorsal para a análise dos ruídos articulares, diferenciando-os em crepitação e estalidos. Foi realizado o número mínimo de 3 repetições nas mensurações dos ruídos para cada criança. Foram realizadas as análises descritivas de todas as variáveis e o teste qui-quadrado foi utilizado para avaliar a associação entre as variáveis, adotando-se um nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: em relação à presença de ruído 37,5% (n=18) apresentaram algum tipo de ruído articular, sendo que 72,2% (n=13) apresentaram estalido e 27,8% (n=5) apresentaram crepitação. Das 18 crianças que apresentaram algum tipo de ruído, 66,7% (n=12) também eram bruxistas. Foi observada associação estatisticamente significante entre a presença de ruído e bruxismo. Ao analisar a associação entre ruído e as variáveis gênero e idade, o grupo estudado não houve associação entre ruído e gênero, porém em relação à idade, houve uma maior porcentagem de crianças sem a presença de ruído articular aos 6 anos de idade, sendo estatisticamente significante. CONCLUSÃO: os dados do presente estudo mostraram associação entre bruxismo e ruídos articulares em crianças.

Prevalence of sleep bruxism in children: a systematic review of the literature

The aim of the present investigation was to perform a systematic review of the literature dealing with the issue of sleep bruxism prevalence in children at the general population level. Quality assessment of the reviewed papers was performed to identify flaws in the external and internal validity. Cut-off criteria for an acceptable external validity were established to select studies for the discussion of prevalence data. A total of 22 publications were included in the review, most of which had methodological problems limiting their external validity. Prevalence data extraction was performed only on eight papers that were consistent as for the sampling strategy and showed only minor external validity problems, but they had some common internal validity flaws related with the definition of sleep bruxism measures. All the selected papers based sleep bruxism diagnosis on proxy reports by the parents, and no epidemiological data were available from studies adopting other diagnostic strategies (e.g. polysomnography or electromyography). The reported prevalence was highly variable between the studies (3·5-40·6%), with a commonly described decrease with age and no gender differences. A very high variability in sleep bruxism prevalence in children was found, due to the different age groups under investigation and the different frequencies of self-reported sleep bruxism. This prevented from supporting any reliable estimates of the prevalence of sleep bruxism in children.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Finger-Sucking and Nail-Biting in Japanese Twin Children

The purpose of this study was to clarify the genetic contribution to finger-sucking and nail- biting in childhood using the largest databases available on Japanese twins. The subjects were 1131 pairs of 12-year-old twin children, consisting of 1057 males and 1205 females. All data were gathered by maternal questionnaire, and responses to the questionnaire were checked in the medical interview. The prevalence of finger-sucking between 0 to 2 years was 40% in males and 43% in females (p = .0053). The prevalence of nail-biting up until the age of 12 years was 28% in males and 26% in females (nonsignificant). Concordance rates and polychoric correlations were all higher in monozygotic pairs than in dizygotic pairs, irrespective of the sex combination. Univariate and bivariate genetic analyses using structural equation modeling was performed. The results showed that the proportion of total phenotypic variance attributable to genetic influences was 66% in males and 50% in females for finger-sucking, and 50% in both males and females for nail-biting. A co-occurrence of finger-sucking and nail-biting was observed in 17.7% of males (tetrachoric correlation: r = .40) and 15.7% of females (r = .32), which was attributed partly to common genetic or environmental factors. The proportion of total shared variance explained by genetic factors was 67%.

Prevalence of temporomandibular joint disorders among students of the university of jordan

Background

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) among students of the University of Jordan.

Methods

Information about the symptoms of TMD and the possible risk factors were collected using specifically designed questionnaires. The collected data sets were treated statistically using the SPSS release 14 package.

Results

The results of the present investigation showed that pain in or about the ears or cheeks was the most prevalent symptom whereas locking of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was the least prevalent. Nearly one-third of the investigated sample (31.4%, 346/1103) had no symptoms of TMD whereas 68.6% (757/1103) had at least one symptom. Students of health science studies had significantly the highest risk in developing TMJ clicking compared to students studying pure science or humanitarian studies.

Conclusions

TMD is of a high prevalence among students of the University of Jordan, particularly among students of health and science studies, which signify the role of stress in the development and/or progression of TMD. The findings of this study are alarming and entailing further investigations to identify risk factors associated with TMD in order to establish measures for prevention and treatment.

Keywords

TMD; Clicking; Health sciences; Humanitarian studies

Temporomandibular disorders and bruxism in childhood and adolescence: review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article was to review the literature about temporomandibular disorders and bruxism and their relationships in children and adolescents.

METHODS

The literature was searched using Medline, ISI, Cochrane Library, Scielo and the Internet, from March 1970 to the end of June 2007. The inclusion criteria were: they evaluated a possible association between TMD and bruxism, and they dealt with child and/or adolescent samples. Furthermore, interim reports, related Internet sites and chapters in textbooks were considered. From 64 records found, 30 fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in children and adolescent varies widely in the literature. Temporomandibular disorders are often defined on the basis of signs and symptoms, of which the most common are: temporomandibular joint sounds, impaired movement of the mandible, limitation in mouth opening, preauricular pain, facial pain, headaches and jaw tenderness on function, having mainly a mild character, fluctuation and progression to severe pain and dysfunction is rare. One of the possible causal factors suggested that temporomandibular disorders in children is a functional mandibular overload variable, mainly bruxism. Bruxism, defined as the habitual nonfunctional forceful contact between occlusal tooth surfaces, is involuntary, excessive grinding, clenching or rubbing of teeth during nonfunctional movements of the masticatory system. Its etiology is still controversial but the multifactorial cause has been attributed, including pathophysiologic, psychologic and morphologic factors. Moreover, in younger children, bruxism may be a consequence of the masticatory neuromuscular system immaturity. Complications include dental attrition, headaches, temporomandibular disorders and masticatory muscle soreness. Some studies have linked oral parafunctional habits to disturbances and diseases of the temporomandibular joint, mainly bruxism, suggesting its association with temporomandibular disorders in the primary and mixed dentition, whereas other authors did not observed respective relationship in primary dentition. The unreliability for the clinical assessment of bruxism also reduces confidence in conclusions about the relationship with temporomandibular disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken all evidence together, the relationship between bruxism and temporomandibular disorders, if it exists, seems to be controversial and unclear.

Surface electromyographic response of the neck muscles to maximal voluntary clenching of the teeth

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of digastric, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, lower trapezius and cervical muscles in response to maximum voluntary clenching (MVC) of the teeth. Twenty healthy subjects aged 24-31 years were divided into two groups of 10: a resting group and a clenching group. The resting group simply maintained the mandible at rest with teeth apart for two 1-min periods, whereas the clenching group underwent an initial resting period followed after 1-min by a clenching period during which they were required to perform MVC. The electromyography (EMG) responses of each muscle were recorded during all periods, and means and standard deviations of the root mean square EMG were calculated. Within-group and between-group comparisons of EMG activity were made using, respectively, the Sign two-tailed test for two related samples and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-tailed test for two independent samples (significance level 0.05). Data indicated a significant increase of EMG activity of the anterior neck muscles (digastric and sternocleidomastoid) during MVC as compared with EMG recorded during resting periods. If confirmed by further research, our findings suggesting an involvement of anterior neck muscles during isometric contraction of the jaw elevator muscles may have clinical implications.

Relationship between oral parafunctional/nutritive sucking habits and temporomandibular joint dysfunction in primary dentition

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nutritive and parafunctional habits and the presence of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) in children with primary dentition.

METHODS

Ninety nine children, aged 3-5 years, were examined to check for the presence or absence of signs and symptoms of TMD (headache, preauricular pain, earache, masticatory muscle tenderness, deviation on opening, occlusal interference and asymmetric movement of the mandible), oral parafunctions (bruxism, nail biting, finger/thumb sucking, speech alteration, mouth breathing, pacifier and atypical swallowing) and nutritive habits (breast- or bottle-feeding) through interview and clinical examination. The results were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

The results showed that only atypical swallowing was positively related to TMD (P < 0.0001); other oral parafunctional and nutritive habits were not related to TMD.

CONCLUSIONS

It was concluded that parafunctional habits, with the exception of atypical swallowing, and feeding methods were not determinants for the presence of signs and/or symptoms of TMD in the sample of children included in the study.