Association between temporomandibular disorder symptoms and demographic, dental and behavioral factors in the elderly: a populationbased cross-sectional study

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms and the associated factors in the elderly of a city in southern Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study performed in residential homes, with probabilistic cluster sample, interviewed and examined 287 seniors aged from 65 to 74 years in the city of Cruz Alta, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The Fonseca Anamnestic Index was used for temporomandibular dysfunction analysis, as well as a structured questionnaire for socioeconomic conditions and an oral health clinical examination. Either Chi-square or Mann-Whitney tests assessed associations between the dependent and independent variables and presented by frequency distribution. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to verify the association between temporomandibular dysfunction risk and explanatory variables. For all statistical analyses, a 5% significance level was adopted. RESULTS: The prevalence of temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms was 55.1%. In the final multivariate model, age ≥70 years (RP=0.674; 95% CI: 0.516 - 0.881) showed as a protection factor against temporomandibular dysfunction, and the average of tooth loss (RP=1.022; 95% CI: 1.004 - 1.039) showed as a risk factor for temporomandibular dysfunction in relation to their respective controls. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study showed a high prevalence of temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms. Age and tooth loss were associated with higher risk of temporomandibular dysfunction. The results suggested the need for improvement in oral health conditions of the elderly and the importance of further epidemiological studies about temporomandibular dysfunction in this population.