Temporomandibular clinical exploration in Italian adolescents.

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%) (chi (2) = 8.78; p = 0.003). Signs and/or symptoms were about 1.6 times more frequent in subjects with Class II/1 malocclusion (chi (2) = 13.3, p = 0.0003), mostly for TMJ sounds (chi (2) = 1.444; p = 0.036). Myalgia was more frequent in females than in males (chi (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.