The prevalence of clinical diagnostic groups in patients with temporomandibular disorders

The aim of this study was to observe the prevalence of diagnostic groups of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in patients who were referred or sought treatment for TMD and/or orofacial pain in a private clinic. The clinical records of 357 patients were evaluated and selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria; the mean age was 32 years. A clinical examination was performed and the diagnosis was based on the American Academy of Orofacial Pain criteria. Results showed that 86.8% of patients were women and 93.3% of the patients presented more than one diagnosis. The most frequent chief complaint (n=216, χ²= 30.68, p=0.001) and total diagnosis realized (n= 748, χ²=14.14, p=0.001) were muscle related. We concluded that women seek treatment for dysfunction/disorders of orofacial structures more than men do; patients seeking specialized treatment have more than one diagnosis and muscle dysfunction is more prevalent than intra-articular disorders.