Evaluation of Clinical Features in Patients with Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Objective: Temporomandibular joint disorder [TMD] is a muscular and articular disorder. There are various clinical features associated with TMD. These include clicking sound, deviation of jaw, pain on palpation, and limited mouth opening. The aim of the study was to assess the various clinical features occurring predominantly in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders in our regional population. Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 192 patients who had temporomandibular disorders were included. The following parameters were evaluated based on the dental records; age, gender, types of TMD and clinical manifestations of TMD. Excel tabulation and SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis and results obtained. Results: The age group most affected with TMD was 21-30 years with a predilection for males. Disc- condyle disorders was the predominant type of TMD [especially in the younger population] followed by MPDS and degenerative disorders in the study population.Clicking and pain on palpation were the most predominant clinical features of TMD followed by a combination of pain, clicking and deviation of the jaws. Least prevalent findings were limited mouth opening and a combination of pain on palpation and the deviation of the jaws.Pain on palpation among elderly people and clicking and a combination of pain, clicking and deviation of the jaws among younger people were found to be the predominant signs and symptoms of TMD. Pain on palpation was present predominantly in male participants and clicking was seen predominantly in female participants. Pain on palpation was the predominant finding in degenerative disorders. Pain on palpation followed by limited mouth opening were the predominant findings in MPDS. Clicking sound followed by a combination of pain, clicking and deviation of the jaws were the predominant features in disc condyle disorders. The association between age, gender and the types of TMD was statistically significant. Also, the association between the age, gender, types of TMD with the clinical features of TMD was also statistically significant. Conclusion: TMJ disorders are now evolving commonly among the younger population. Males are slightly more affected with TMD than females. Disc-condyle disorders occurs more commonly than the other types of TMD. Among the clinical manifestations of TMD, pain on palpation and clicking were found to be the predominant signs and symptoms in our present scenario. The association between the age, gender, types of TMD with the clinical features of TMD were statistically significant.