FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS AMONGST DENTAL STUDENTS OF KHYBER COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY

Abstract

 Temporomandibular joint disorders are a diverse group of diseases that affect the TMJ joint and are equally prevalent among patients as well as the non-patient population. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence and severity of temporomandibular disorders amongst dental undergraduate students of Khyber College of Dentistry, Peshawar. This cross sectional analytical study was carried out amongst first, second, third and final year BDS students using the Fonseca Questionnaire. Mean SD was calculated for score obtained. Frequencies were calculated for categorical variables such as gender, year of study and grade of the temporomandibular disorders. Stratification of grade of temporomandibular disorders was done with regards to gender and year of study using the Pearson chi square test to check for level of significance (p-value <0.05). A total of 300 proformas were given, out of which 201 were returned. A male to female ratio of 1:1.79 was seen. 60.7% of the sample reported no TMDs, mild TMDs were seen in 31.3% and only 2% were classified as having severe TMDs. More males presented with mild and moderate TMDs and the prevalence of TMDs increased with the advancing year of study (p-value < 0.05). It is concluded that majority of the dental students (60.7%) did not suffer from TMDs. More male students suffered from mild to moderate TMDs, whereas females suffered exclusively from severe TMDs. There was an increased prevalence of TMDs as students progressed from first to final year BDS.