Temporomandibular disorders in Al-Ahsa province, KSA: an epidemiologic study

ABSTRACT

This one-year epidemiological study was designed to investigate TMD, among dental patients attending King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf. it is a retrospective case-control study of 72 Saudi TMD patients cross matched with 72 control subjects. The latter were randomly selected, interviewed and examined in the dental department. Subjects were assessed separately both by a dental specialist and a psychiatrist. Data were collected on a predesigned form, and was statistically analyzed using an Epi-lnfo6.TMD cases among the attendants at the dental department were 4.8%. No significant associations [P>0.05] were found between socio-economic factors and the distribution of TMD cases. The mean opening extent of the mouth in the TMD patients was significantly lower than that in the controls [P<0.001]. The study also showed that psychological problems were more prevalent among TMD patients. Anxiety-depression was 50% of the psychiatric disorders, while depression constituted 32.1%.This study also showed that patients with psychiatric problems were prone to TMD 4.5 times greater than those without and vice-versa. A liaison psychiatrist should be considered for TMD management. A simplified and valid psychiatric screening test is recommended to help dentists detect those TMD cases in need of psychiatric consultation