1997 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 251-255
The clinical symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) were examined in 306 primary school and 679 high school children in Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture. These symptoms are classified into three types; joint sounds, pain and dysfunction, according to palpation and inquiry. In primary school children, 4.2% of TMD sounds and 0.7% of pain were observed. On the other hand, in high school children were examined 23.4% of sounds, 2.7% of pain and 2.4% of mandibular movement dysfunction. One or more combined symptoms of TMD was 13.0% in high school children. Incidence of normal occlusion in these subjects was 83.0% in primary school and 68.5% in high school children. Of the high school subjects with malocclusion was observed 16.9% of crowding; 11.0% of anterior cross bite; and 1.9% of maxillary protrusion.
In comparison with another report, the frequency of TMD in this district was almost the same percentage in primary school children, data in the high school children was shown to be less than that of another report which was surveyed in Tokyo. However, in high school children, the frequency was increased approximately 11%, compared to the report based on the data from the oral health examination of 1988 in Chiba Prefecture. From these findings, TMD in the young generation had a recogniźed tendency of increasing.
