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Prevalence of TMJ Signs and Symptoms in the Elderly
Author(s) -
Heft Marc W.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
gerodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1741-2358
pISSN - 0734-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-2358.1984.tb00363.x
Subject(s) - medicine , temporomandibular joint , signs and symptoms , disease , tmj disorders , longitudinal study , age groups , presentation (obstetrics) , pediatrics , physical therapy , dentistry , surgery , demography , pathology , sociology
Investigations of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders have included assessment of the prevalence of signs such as joint clicking, limitation of jaw opening, and deviation of the mandible on function, and symptoms such as pain on function in patient and non‐patient populations. The former (signs) might be viewed as the prevalence of TMJ “disease”, and the latter (symptom presentation) might be viewed as TMJ “illness behavior.” The majority of the reports profiling TMJ patients suggest that most are females (80%) in the 20–40 year age group. Reports of the relationship of TMJ signs and symptoms to age have provided inconsistent findings, i.e. signs and symptoms have been found to increase with age, to decrease with age, or to be unrelated to age. Many of the inconsistencies reflect differences in the populations studied and lack of standardized criteria for diagnosing mandibular function/dysfunction. This study assessed the prevalence of the signs and symptoms of TMJ disorders in community‐dwelling, non‐health care seeking participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, the intramural longitudinal aging study of the National Institute on Aging. The only age difference noted was in limitation of jaw opening among the older subjects.