Abstract
This study attempted to determine the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in Bangladeshi adolescents and to compare TMD prevalence among those residing in urban, peri-urban, and rural communities of Bangladesh. A total of 1,200 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (600 males and 600 females), selected from urban, peri-urban and rural areas using a multistage random sampling procedure, participated in the study. The subjective symptoms related to TMD were evaluated using a self-reporting questionnaire. Four highly trained dentists clinically evaluated the dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and masticatory muscles. One-half of the subjects (52% for male and 47% for female) reported at least one subjective symptom. A statistically significant difference was observed in the prevalence of clicking between males and females (p<0.01), however, not for restricted mouth opening or pain in TMJ. The study also reported significantly higher prevalence of pain in TMJ in rural (48.2%) and peri-urban (47.9%) subjects compared to that in urban (31.5%) subjects (p<0.001). The clinical examination found significantly higher prevalence of TMD signs such as clicking (13.1%), TMJ tenderness (18.6%), and muscle tenderness (19.3%) in rural subjects compared to those in urban subjects (4.2% with clicking, 6.9% with TMJ tenderness, and 9.1% with muscle tenderness) (p<0.001). We concluded that a substantial number of adolescents in Bangladesh may suffer from TMD. Community differences among TMD positive subjects in this sub-population were observed, suggesting a need for further multi-factorial studies to explain this difference.
