Assessing the prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders in Brazilian para-athletes

Avaliação da prevalência da Disfunção Temporomandibular em para-atletas brasileiros

Evaluación de la prevalencia del Trastorno Temporomandibular en paratletas brasileños

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) in Brazilian para-athletes. We performed clinical examinations on para-athletes during a selective competition. For TMD diagnosis, the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders protocol was used, and the individuals were categorized into three groups: muscle disorders, disc displacements, and arthralgia. 138 para-athletes performed clinical examinations: 40 (28.9%) were swimmers, 27 (19.6%) were powerlifters, and 71 (51.5%) were from athletics. 35 (25.3%) para-athletes presented TMD and the most prevalent symptom was muscle disorders in females (P = 0.003). It is concluded that the TMD prevalence in para-athletes is higher in females than males. Nevertheless, it is still lower than in the general population.

Keywords:
Para-athletes; Temporomandibular joint disorders; Disabled persons; Muscle disorders