Use of the Fonseca's questionnaire to assess the prevalence and severity of temporomandibular disorders in brazilian dental undergraduates

This study to assessed the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) by means of the frequency distribution of data for 218 dentistry students from a Brazilian public university using the Fonseca's questionnaire. The group consisted of 96 men and 122 women, with an average age of 20 years. Of the students, 53.21 percent showed some level of TMD: 35.78 percent mild TMD 11.93 percent moderate and 5.5 percent severe. Women were the most affected group, with 63.11 percent showing some level of TMD, against 40.62 percent of men. When considering only severe TMD, women are approximately 9 times more affected than men. Students with any level of TMD showed marked characteristics: 76.72 percent considered themselves tense people; 71.55 percent reported to clench or grind their teeth; 65.52 percent reported clicking of the temporomandibular joint; 64.66 percent reported frequent headache and 61.21 percent neck pain. In conclusion, clinical signs and symptoms of TMD can occur in young population and this information is of great importance for the early diagnosis of the dysfunction.