RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders ( TMDs) in a sample of Ecuadorian older adults in 2018. This is a cross-sectional study, which was conducted with a sample of 143 older adults of both sexes of the "Senderito de Amor" Elderly Home. The evaluation instrument was the Helkimo index, with the following parameters: presence of muscle pain, difficulty in opening and closing movement, joint pain, joint noises, limitation of mouth opening, limitation of lateral movement, and propulsion and deviation of the jaw. Overall, 88.8% of the population had TMDs, with 85.7% in the group of 6070 years, 81.8% in the group of 7180 years, 96.7% in those over 80 years, and 81.0% men and 92.1% women. Statistically significant differences were found by age (p = 0.035), but not by sex (p = 0.055). The most frequent signs and symptoms were joint noise (82.5%), followed by deviation of the jaw during opening (60.1%), reduction of the mouth opening (41.3%), difficulty of opening movements and closure (35.0%), reduction in movements of laterality and propulsion (29.4%), joint and muscle pain (24.5%), muscle pain (18.9%), and joint pain (16.8%). In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in older adults, and the most frequent signs and symptoms were joint sounds and deviation of the jaw during the mouth opening