Classic symptoms in temporomandibular disorder patients: a comparative study

Numerous symptoms have been reported in the literature associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, it has not been stated what TMD symptoms are the most important and consistent and in turn, can be referred to as the gold standard or classic symptoms. The purpose of this study was: 1. To review the literature regarding TMD symptoms; 2. To compare so-called classic TMD symptoms with the symptoms of patients diagnosed as having TMD. Out of 52 consecutive patients, 40 were diagnosed as having TMD and were selected for this study. Forty non-TMD subjects served as a control group. A total range of subjective symptoms, from a self-administered TMD history form, was collected, but only so-called classic or the most common TMD symptoms were reported in this study. Results revealed that the major complaints of the TMD patients, including headaches, were similar to the suggested classic TMD symptoms derived from the literature.