ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DYSFUNCTION AND PARAFUNCTIONAL ORAL HABITS IN STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective:  To examine the extent to which oral parafunctional habits may influence the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in students. Subjects and Methods: The sample consisted of students of the Faculty of Dentistry,  Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sarajevo, a total of 183 students. Students received two questionnaires electronically, which are anonymous. The questionnaire related to the presence of symptoms and signs of TMD is the Fonesca anamnestic index. The second questionnaire is a Oral Behaviors Checklist (OBC), additional instruments of axis II of the new Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). Results: A total of 183 students were included in the research, of which 38 were men and 145 were women. 68 (37,2%) subjects were without TMD while 115 (62,8%) had TMD. The results of the ANOVA test showed that students who had symptoms and signs of TMD had on average a significantly higher score of parafunctional oral habits (OBC) compared to students who did not have TMD. There is a moderately strong positive correlation between the Oral Behaviors Checklist (OBC) and the Fonesco Anamnestic Index (FAI) (r = 0.430, p < 0.001, n = 182). Conclusion: There is a significant association between parafunctional oral habits (OBC) and TMD symptoms (FAI).