Temporomandibular disorders in Turkish children with mixed and primary dentition: prevalence of signs and symptoms.

The prevalence of signs and symptoms related to TM (temporomandibular) disorders was examined in 40 children with primary dentition and in 40 children with mixed dentition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between dentition and TM disorders in the examined population. Maximum mouth opening was also evaluated. Clinical examination was done by one investigator. A questionnaire was used in combination with the clinical examination. The results showed that there was an increase in signs and symptoms from the primary to the mixed dentition group, but only the joint sounds were found significantly different between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in maximum mouth opening capacity between the groups.