Saranya Sreekumar, Janakiram Chandrashekar, Mathew Anil
Department of Prosthodontics, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita School of Dentistry, Kochi 682041 India.
American Board of Dental Public Health, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita School of Dentistry, Kochi 682041, Kerala, India.
J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2024 May-Jun;14(3):312-316. doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2024.04.002. Epub 2024 Apr 13.
Primary dental care facilities and awareness about temporomandibular disorders are lacking among the indigenous population of Kerala. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) disorders among the indigenous populations of Kerala.
This cross-sectional study included adults aged 18 years and above, visiting primary health care centre in the tribal hamlet in the town of Kalpetta, Wayanad District, Kerala, India, for reasons other than dental. Axis I and II of Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) was used to screen for TMD. A local language validated screening questionnaire was used. The clinical examination was carried out as per the DC/TMD by a calibrated examiner. The data was processed using SPSS and the frequencies and proportions for signs and symptoms of TMD were estimated.
Among 198 adults screened, 23 (11.6 %) had TMD. Among these 60 % of the adults were aged 31-65 years and predominantly females (86.9 %). 39 % of these patients were dentulous. All affected adults experienced TMD related pain for more than 3 months with 90 % of them experiencing moderate-to-severe pain. Myofascial pain was the most prevalent type. Other findings included moderate anxiety levels in 34.8 % and abnormal oral behaviour and high physical symptoms in 40 % TMD patients.
TMD disorders were prevalent among the indigenous population and remained undiagnosed. The study highlights the need for screening and the availability of basic dental care for the indigenous populations.
喀拉拉邦的原住民缺乏初级牙科保健设施，对颞下颌关节紊乱症的认识也不足。本研究的目的是确定喀拉拉邦原住民中颞下颌关节功能障碍（TMD）疾病的患病率。
这项横断面研究纳入了18岁及以上的成年人，他们因非牙科原因前往印度喀拉拉邦韦纳德区卡尔佩塔镇部落小村庄的初级卫生保健中心就诊。使用颞下颌关节紊乱症研究诊断标准（DC/TMD）的轴I和轴II来筛查TMD。使用经过当地语言验证的筛查问卷。由经过校准的检查人员按照DC/TMD进行临床检查。使用SPSS对数据进行处理，并估计TMD体征和症状的频率及比例。
在198名接受筛查的成年人中，23人（11.6%）患有TMD。其中，60%的成年人年龄在31 - 65岁之间，且以女性为主（86.9%）。这些患者中有39%有牙。所有受影响的成年人经历TMD相关疼痛超过3个月，其中90%经历中度至重度疼痛。肌筋膜疼痛是最常见的类型。其他发现包括34.8%的患者焦虑水平中等，40%的TMD患者存在异常口腔行为和较高的身体症状。
TMD疾病在原住民中普遍存在且未被诊断出来。该研究强调了对原住民进行筛查以及提供基本牙科保健的必要性。
