Associations between occlusal characteristics and signs and symptoms of TMJ dysfunction in children and young adults.

Cross-sectional data were obtained from 1,342 subjects 6 to 17 years of age and analyzed for the prevalence of (1) specific types of occlusion, and (2) subjective symptoms and clinical signs of TMJ dysfunction. The results, as they pertained to occlusion and clinical signs, were as follows: functional shift was negatively associated with TMJ and muscle tenderness; open bite was positively associated with TMJ and muscle tenderness; excessive or negative overjets were more likely to have joint tenderness; older subjects with a cusp-to-cusp or a Class II molar relationship were more likely to experience TMJ and muscle tenderness, and restricted opening; and buccal crossbites had a significantly higher prevalence of joint sounds in older children. Results pertaining to occlusion and subjective symptoms were as follows: Class II molar relationship was positively associated with joint noise in the 6 to 8 and 15 to 17-year age groups; and subjects with negative overjet were more likely to report joint noise. Our conclusions were that (1) statistical associations exist between certain features of occlusion and TMJ signs/symptoms, and (2) such associations are greater in the older groups tested.