Craniomandibular dysfunction in children and adolescents: a review

The purpose of this paper is to show that temporomandibular disorders manifest as much in children and adolescents as in adults. Objective signs, such as pain in the temporomandibular joint area to palpation or function, were found to be 40.6% on average from ages 6-18 years. Subjective signs reported by patients or their parents, such as clicking, pain to function and muscle tenderness, had an average prevalence of 38.7%. All but one researcher reported no difference between signs and symptoms as related to sex. These same articles concurred that the symptoms in children and adolescents, though less severe, were slightly higher in incidence than the adult population. Since the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders is the same in children and adolescents as in adults, more attention needs to be placed on its recognition in this age group. In addition, more research into treatment modalities and possible preventive measures in this age group is required to prevent sequelae in later years.