Severity index by gender in adult patients with Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)
Keywords:
Temporomandibular disorders, gender,, orofacial pain, severity of illness index, temporomandibular index, research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD).Abstract
Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) are conditions characterized by pain or dysfunction of the
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) and masticatory muscles. Females have been identified as the group
most at risk of developing this pathology and the data indicate that females more frequently present
grave symptoms, with greater tendencies to chronicity. The objective of this study is to determine the
severity of TMD by gender in a group of outpatients of the clinic at the Faculty of Dentistry of Puebla.
Observational study design, with 75 patients included (65% female). The severity of TMD, was evaluated
with the Temporomandibular index (TMI) with three domains (function, articular, muscular), using the
standardization of the researcher (kappa=0.96). Percentages and the mean of percentages of severity of
TMD were calculated. The outcomes of TMI were compared by gender. Total of severity index between
gender shows that the means of the three sub-indices and the total index were higher in women, but
only the muscle index showed significant differences (p=0.022). The total of severity Index showed
marginal differences between the gender (p=0.074). The women reported more grave signs and
symptoms of TMD, specifically in the perception of pain
