Temporomandibular disorders in young people with an intellectual disability: prevalence of signs and symptoms

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ABSTRACT

Aim

To assess the prevalence of signs and symptoms related to TMJ disorders in a group of young people with intelectual
disability (ID) and a matched group of healthy adolescents.

Methods

A group of 105 young Special Olympics
(SO) athletes (ID group) aged from 14 to 25 years and a control group were examined for the presence or absence of signs and
symptoms of TMD through interview and clinical examination.

Results

A total of 64 young people with ID (61) had at least
one sign of TMD compared to 41 (39) of the individuals screened that was free of any TMD symptoms. A significantly higher
prevalence of TMJ sounds (palpation and stethoscope), TMJ tenderness, maximum vertical opening, headaches were observed among
SO athletes compared to the healthy control group (p<0.05). A significant difference was recorded only for the Temporalis tenderness between the girls and boys (p<0.05).

Conclusion

TMJ disorders are noticeable problem for intellectually disabled patients and a
possible cause of pain that should be examined more in detail. We suggest that oral screening in people with a mental disability should
be modified by including basic TMJ examination parameters in order to allow better understanding of the pathological aspects so as to
address effective preventive and therapeutic measures.

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