Longitudinal changes in craniomandibular dysfunction in an elderly population in northern Sweden.

Longitudinal changes and cohort differences in craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) were studied in a 79-year-old cohort (n = 65) and in 70-year-old cohorts in 1981 (n = 62) and 1990 (n = 60) by means of interview and clinical examination. Although the frequency of reported CMD symptoms decreased, many clinical signs of CMD increased during the 9-year observation period. Women reported more symptoms and showed more signs of CMD than men, and a great many of the clinical signs registered in 1981 still persisted in 1990. The 70-year-old cohort studied in 1990 showed a lower frequency of reported symptoms of CMD and of temporomandibular joint pain on palpation and a higher frequency of muscle pain and mandibular deviation than the 70-year-olds examined in 1981.