Prevalence of patients harboring temporomandibular disorders in an otorhinolaryngology departament

The interaction between Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and otalgia is, even nowadays, a reason for speculation and hypotheses raising. Several researchers suggest causes, consequences and alleged treatments. STUDY DESIGN: This is an epidemiological, sectional cohort study of prevalence. AIM: The study demonstrates the prevalence of patients harboring TMDs in an otorhinolaryngology department. MATERIAL AND METHODOS: During a two-month period, 221 patients from the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Hospital da Cidade de Passo Fundo, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil were analyzed. A previously validated questionnaire was applied for data collection. RESULTS: In the present study, the need for dental assessment was observed in 48 patients ( 21.72 percent). In this group there were 35 female (72.9 percent) and 13 males (27.1 percent). Only 15 patients (7.24 percent) were entirely free of TMD symptoms. The remaining patients reported the following TMD symptoms: headaches: 34.39 percent, neck and shoulder pain: 28.50 percent, pain on the ear region: 30.32 percent and joint noises in 23.98 percent. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Temporomandibular disorders was 21.72 percent, being significantly higher among female subjects (p:0.0001). The prevalence regarding the indexes, was: TMD absent: 37.56 percent; mild TMD: 40.72 percent; moderate TMD 19 percent and severe TMD: 2.72 percent.