Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in rugby players

Rugby is played by more than 3 million people in over 100 countries on 5 continents. Playing rugby can result in 2-3 times more dental and facial trauma than American football or other contact sports. Facial trauma in sports has been associated with the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of TMDs in rugby players. The Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders were used to assess 30 rugby players (group 1) and 28 nonathletes (group 2) for TMDs. The chi-square test was used to compare the groups, and a significance level of 5% (P < 0.05) was used for all statistical analyses. The prevalence of TMDs in groups 1 and 2 was 53.3% and 14.3%, respectively (P = 0.002). Myofascial pain was observed in 12 individuals (40%) in group 1 and in 2 individuals (7.1%) in group 2. Seven participants in group 1 (23.3%) received a diagnosis of disc displacement, and 2 participants (7.1%) in group 2 received this diagnosis. Participants in group 1 also reported significantly more tooth clenching than those in group 2 (P = 0.003).