Prevalence of temporomandibular disorder pain, jaw noises and oral behaviours in an adult Italian population sample

To evaluate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder pain (TMD-pain), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) noises, oral behaviours in an Italian adult population sample, their possible association with gender, oral behaviours, self-reported facial trauma and orthodontic treatment. Subjects older than 18 years were recruited from general population in public spaces during their daily life. A specific questionnaire was developed to collect data on TMD-pain, TMJ noises, oral behaviours, orthodontic treatment and facial trauma. A total of 4299 subjects were included in the study. The most common symptom in the sample was TMJ clicking (30.7%), followed by TMD-pain (16.3%) and TMJ crepitus (10.3%). Oral behaviours were reported in 29% of the sample; 43.6% of the sample reported a previous or ongoing orthodontic treatment. TMD-pain and TMJ clicking were significantly associated to gender, oral behaviours and a positive history of previous facial trauma. Crepitus was significantly associated to oral behaviours, facial trauma and higher age. Ongoing orthodontic treatment was significantly associated to TMD-pain and TMJ sounds. In a general Italian adult population sample, TMD-pain is associated to female gender and is less prevalent than TMJ clicking. TMDs are associated to trauma and oral behaviours.