The incidence of temporomandibular disorder signs in patients wearing complete dentures compared to patients with a natural dentition.

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of signs of a temporomandibular disorder in patients wearing complete upper and lower dentures and to compare this to the incidence of signs in dental out-patients with a natural dentition. One hundred and sixty patients were assessed using a questionnaire and clinical examination. The results showed statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the presence of temporomandibular disorder signs, the dentate group having a higher incidence (P < .04).