IADR Abstract Archives
The Prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders Among Dental Students at James Cook University, Australia
Objectives: Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) can impair quality of life of individuals through pain and dysfunction. TMDs are believed to have a multifactorial aetiology. TMDs affect approximately 23% of the Australian general population, with females and those in the 15-34 year age group most often affected. International studies have shown prevalence of TMDs in university student populations to range from 30 to 55%. However, no prevalence studies on TMDs have been conducted within Australian university student populations. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of TMDs among dentistry students at James Cook University, Australia and to determine whether TMD symptoms are associated with gender, year of study, and other demographic factors.
Methods: Data was collected using the DC/TMD Symptoms Questionnaire published by the RDC-TMD Consortium Network of the International Association for Dental Research. All undergraduate dentistry students were invited to participate, and data was collected anonymously via the online survey tool, Survey Monkey. No directly identifiable information was obtained. Ethics approval was obtained from the James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee. SPSS Statistics Version 24 was used for data analysis and chi-square tests were used to assess the association between the symptoms of TMDs and demographic variables.
Results: Of 392 students, 136 (34.7%) responded to the questionnaire. The prevalence of TMDs in the study population was founded to be 77.2%. Females reported significantly higher prevalence than males (P=0.030). A total of 105 respondents of 136 reported at least one symptom of TMDs. The most common TMD symptoms were pain (48.53%) and joint noises (48.53%). Although, no statistically significant difference was found between different year levels for symptoms of TMDs, students in years 2, 4 and 5 were more likely to exhibit symptoms. This study found students of Caucasian background were significantly more likely to report temple headaches compared to students of other ethnicities.
Conclusions: The prevalence of TMDs in the study population was founded to be high with female predominance. Since TMDs significantly influence the quality of life, it is important to support the student population for proper management of their symptoms.
Methods: Data was collected using the DC/TMD Symptoms Questionnaire published by the RDC-TMD Consortium Network of the International Association for Dental Research. All undergraduate dentistry students were invited to participate, and data was collected anonymously via the online survey tool, Survey Monkey. No directly identifiable information was obtained. Ethics approval was obtained from the James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee. SPSS Statistics Version 24 was used for data analysis and chi-square tests were used to assess the association between the symptoms of TMDs and demographic variables.
Results: Of 392 students, 136 (34.7%) responded to the questionnaire. The prevalence of TMDs in the study population was founded to be 77.2%. Females reported significantly higher prevalence than males (P=0.030). A total of 105 respondents of 136 reported at least one symptom of TMDs. The most common TMD symptoms were pain (48.53%) and joint noises (48.53%). Although, no statistically significant difference was found between different year levels for symptoms of TMDs, students in years 2, 4 and 5 were more likely to exhibit symptoms. This study found students of Caucasian background were significantly more likely to report temple headaches compared to students of other ethnicities.
Conclusions: The prevalence of TMDs in the study population was founded to be high with female predominance. Since TMDs significantly influence the quality of life, it is important to support the student population for proper management of their symptoms.