Incidence of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in senior dental students in Taiwan.

Two-hundred and fifty-four (159 male, 95 female) senior dental students (mean age: 22.34 +/- 1.2 years) were asked to answer 14 questions. Scoring instructions accompanying this questionnaire indicated that the number of 'yes' responses was directly related to the probability of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). This survey of students was used to determine the prevalence of TMD. In addition, item analysis was performed to determine if there were any differences between male and female responses. The results of the study were as follows. The most prominent symptom suggesting TMD was the presence of clicking sound(s), both in females and males. The second most prominent symptom in female students was an awareness of stress, whereas teeth sensitivity was second in male students. Female students 18.95% and male students 29.56% did not answer 'yes' to these questions, and significantly (P < 0.05) higher in males than in females. The frequency of more than four 'yes' answers was 15.79% in the female group and 5.66% in the male group, and significantly (P < 0.001) lower in males than in females. The type of symptoms and the frequency of TMDs were higher in female students than in male students and jaw click was the most common finding both in male and female dental students. The difference in reported problems between male and female students centred on a dentition factor in males and a psychological factor in female students.