Incidence of temporomandibular disorders in orthodontic adult patients and general population

doi:10.19439/j.sjos.2026.05.018

Abstract

Abstract: PURPOSE: To explore the differences in the prevalence and symptom distribution of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) between adult patients at their first orthodontic visit and the general population. METHODS: A total of 103 adult patients who visited the Department of Orthodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from June to August 2024 were selected as the experimental group, while 110 age-matched individuals without a history of orthodontic treatment were included as the control group. Under the guidance of specialists, all participants completed a questionnaire survey covering TMD diagnostic criteria (DC/TMD), chronic pain grades, and mandibular function limitation. Logistic regression analysis and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Among the 213 subjects, the overall prevalence of TMD was 46.01%. The prevalence in females (47.26%) was slightly higher than that in males (43.28%), but there was no significant difference (P>0.05). The prevalence of TMD in orthodontic initial consultation patients (54.37%) was significantly higher than that in the general population (38.18%) (P<0.05). The positive rates of symptoms such as joint clicking (38.8% vs. 16.4%) and mandibular locking during closing (19.4% vs. 7.3%) in orthodontic patients were significantly higher than those in the general population (P<0.05). Pain was the most common symptom in the general population (19.1%), while joint clicking was the primary symptom in orthodontic patients. 78.9% of TMD patients had no pain in the past 6 months (grade 0), and only a few had mild to severe pain (grades Ⅰ-Ⅲ). TMD patients showed significant differences from healthy individuals in mandibular function limitations such as "biting a whole apple" and "yawning"(P<0.05), and the Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS) was positively correlated with the degree of pain. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of TMD in adult patients at their first orthodontic visit is significantly higher than that in the general population. TMD may prompt patients to seek orthodontic treatment by causing symptoms such as craniofacial deformities, occlusal disorders, and pain. Clinicians should pay attention to the prevalence of TMD and mandibular function status in orthodontic patients.

Key words: Temporomandibular disorders, Orthodontics, Prevalence, Chronic pain, Mandibular function limitation

CLC Number:

R782.6

Zhang Hengjing, Cai Yijin, Wang Yuzhuo, Yin Wanting, Lu Wenting, Zhao Ning. Incidence of temporomandibular disorders in orthodontic adult patients and general population[J]. Shanghai Journal of Stomatology, 2026, 35(5): 549-554.

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