• Umo Isong, Stuart A Gansky, and Octavia Plesh.
• Center to Address Disparities in Children's Oral Health, USA.
• J Orofac Pain. 2008 Jan 1; 22 (4): 317322317-22.

AimsTo compare prevalences of self-reported temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJMD)-type pain in the 2002 U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) by age and gender for non-Hispanic whites (Caucasians) and non-Hispanic blacks (African Americans).MethodsData from the 2002 NHIS included information on gender, age, race, ethnicity, education, and TMJMD-type pain. Rao-Scott survey chi-square and survey logistic regression analyses using sampling weights and accounting for the complex design were used to analyze variables relating to prevalences.ResultsA total of 30,978 people, 17,498 females and 13,480 males, 20,389 non-Hispanic whites and 4179 non-Hispanic blacks, were included. The overall prevalence of TMJMD-type pain was 4.6%, with 6.3% for women and 2.8% for men. However, based on age, a significant but modest racial/ethnic difference emerged after adjusting for socioeconomic status. For non-Hispanic white women up to age 50, the prevalence was approximately 7% to 8%, but it decreased after age 55. Non-Hispanic black women had much lower prevalence at younger ages (approximately 4% at 25 to 34 years), which increased thereafter up to 55 to 64 years of age. A similar racial pattern seemed to emerge for non-Hispanic black men, with the lowest prevalence at ages 25 to 34 years, while non-Hispanic white men had higher prevalences. Overall, however, age seemed to play more of a role in women than men.ConclusionThis is the first report of findings from a nationally representative US sample for TMJMD-type pain by age and race/ethnicity. TMJMD-type pain differed significantly by race, age, and gender after adjusting for socioeconomic status.

29 keywords...

hide…