The epidemiology of self-reported TMJ sounds and pain in young adults in Israel

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the prevalence of self-reported temporomandibular joint sounds (TMJS), masticatory muscle pain (MMP), and their interrelation in a young adult population. METHODS: A large sample (n = 20,869) of young soldiers aged 18-21 years who attended dental clinics were asked about their experience of TMJ sounds and pain. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of TMJS was 8.4 percent (8.9% in females and 8.2% in males) and for masticatory pain was 4.0 percent for both males and females (P < .001 under chi-square test). Twenty-five percent of patients reporting positive TMJS also reported positive MMP compared to 2 percent in the negative TMJS group (P < .001). Fifty-three percent of patients reporting positive MMP also reported positive TMJS, compared to 6.5 percent in the negative MMP group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The low prevalence of TMJ sounds and pain found in these study might be attributed to the different cultural and social environment, as well as to the uniformity in age of the study group.