Prevalence of patients harboring temporomandibular disorders in an otorhinolaryngology departament

The interaction between Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and otalgia is, even nowadays, a reason for speculation and hypotheses raising. Several researchers suggest causes, consequences and alleged treatments. STUDY DESIGN: This is an epidemiological, sectional cohort study of prevalence. AIM: The study demonstrates the prevalence of patients harboring TMDs in an otorhinolaryngology department. MATERIAL AND METHODOS: During a two-month period, 221 patients from the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Hospital da Cidade de Passo Fundo, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil were analyzed. A previously validated questionnaire was applied for data collection. RESULTS: In the present study, the need for dental assessment was observed in 48 patients (21.72%). In this group there were 35 female (72.9%) and 13 males (27.1%). Only 15 patients (7.24%) were entirely free of TMD symptoms. The remaining patients reported the following TMD symptoms: headaches: 34.39%, neck and shoulder pain: 28.50%, pain on the ear region: 30.32% and joint noises in 23.98%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Temporomandibular disorders was 21.72%, being significantly higher among female subjects (p:0.0001). The prevalence regarding the indexes, was: TMD absent: 37.56%; mild TMD: 40.72%; moderate TMD 19% and severe TMD: 2.72%.