TMD incidence and socioeconomic standing. Eradicating the myth of the upper class patient.

Several studies have found temporomandibular disorders (TMD) to have greater incidence in upper socioeconomic groups of society. And at the present time, many TMD clinics do not accept Medicaid. Consequently, some patients may not receive care or may be under-represented in TMD studies because they cannot afford treatment. To date, no study has examined solely the social class distribution of TMD, and much controversy still surrounds the issue. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if TMD does have a greater incidence in upper and middle socioeconomic classes of society. It was found that a significant percentage of the TMD patient population (69 percent) are Medicaid beneficiaries.