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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Temporomandibular clinical exploration in Italian adolescents
Simona Tecco1, Alessandro Nota1,2, Silvia Caruso2
1a Dental School , Vita-Salute San Raffaele University , Milan , Italy.
Objective:
This study investigated the prevalence of the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among Italian adolescents.
Methods:
The data were recorded from 567 subjects (246 males and 321 females; age range 11-19 years), grouped according to age and molar class relationship.
Results:
Forty-four point one percent of subjects showed at least one sign or symptom of TMD, which were significantly more frequent in the 16-19 year-old group (52.9%) in respect to the 11-15 year-old group (39.8%) (χ 2 = 8.78; p = 0.003). Signs and/or symptoms were about 1.6 times more frequent in subjects with Class II/1 malocclusion (χ 2 = 13.3, p = 0.0003), mostly for TMJ sounds (χ 2 = 1.444; p = 0.036). Myalgia was more frequent in females than in males (χ 2 = 3.882; p = 0.049).
Conclusion:
TMD signs and/or symptoms among Italian adolescents seem diffused (44.1%). Therefore, all adolescents should be screened thorough medical history and clinical examination.
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