Experience of Orthodontic Treatment and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint in South Korean Adults

BACKGROUND: No epidemiological studies have targeted the association between experience of orthodontic treatment and symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in a large adult population. In this study, we investigated whether experience of orthodontic treatment is associated with symptoms of TMJ in adults. METHODS: We used data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V), conducted in 2011. Trained dentists asked subjects to report their experience of orthodontic treatment and symptoms of TMJ. Overall, 5936 subjects aged over 19 yr were included in this study (2528 males). The data were analyzed using the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression tests. RESULTS: The group with experience of orthodontic treatment had more symptoms of TMJ than the group without orthodontic experience. After adjusting for all covariates (i.e., age, sex, marital status, income, education, stress, teeth injury, and occupation), the adjusted odds ratio was 2.53 (95%CI 1.74–3.67). CONCLUSION: Experience of orthodontic treatment could be related to increased symptoms of TMJ.