Journal of oral rehabilitation
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A 2-year cohort study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) was performed. A total of 229 female adolescents, all 15 years of age, completed questionnaires and underwent dental examinations at baseline, 1- and 2-year follow-up surveys. The questionnaire included questions on typical TMD symptoms; i.e. temporomandibular joint (TMJ) noise, tiredness in jaws, pain on jaw movements, and difficulty in mouth opening. ⋯ The symptom-emerging rate of TMJ noise during the 2-year period was 13.5%, which was the highest among the rates of possible subjective symptoms. Individuals with a 2-year increment in DMFT of > or =2 had a 2.14-times increased risk of experiencing mild symptoms, and individuals with baseline FT of > or =3 had 2.41-times increased risk of experiencing mild or severe subjective symptoms. The results of this study showed that TMD symptoms occurred in a relatively high percentage of female adolescents during the 2-year period and suggested that DMFT is one factor affecting the incidence of TMD.