Oral habits and their association with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in adolescents: a gender comparison.

Objectives The prevalence of oral parafunctions and signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in female and male adolescents were compared and their relationship to one another evaluated. Study design The study consisted of 314 adolescents (136 males and 178 females). Each participant filled out a questionnaire regarding their oral habits and symptoms of TMD. A clinical examination was carried out regarding signs of TMD. Results Generally, the prevalence of most oral habits was higher among adolescent females than males. Most examined signs and symptoms of TMD showed a statistically significant higher prevalence among females. Gender and nearly all oral habits were a risk factor for TMD. Conclusions Adolescent females had a higher prevalence of TMD signs and symptoms and carried out oral habits more intensively. Parafunctional activity may be another contributing factor in the discrepancies found in the prevalence of signs and symptoms between the sexes. Parafunctional habits and gender may be risk factors of TMD.