Prevalence and Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders among the Turkish Dental Students Using Fonseca's Anamnestic Index

Year 2025, Volume: 49 Issue: 2, 110 - 118, 28.08.2025

Elif Melike Akarca , Tuğçe Karabulut Açıkgöz , Dilek Senyilmaz , Senay Canay

Abstract

Background & Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) among 1533 dental students at a Turkish state university using Fonseca’s Anamnestic Index (FAI). It also examined the association of TMD symptoms with gender and academic year to support early recognition and awareness of TMDs in dental students.
Methods: A total of 1533 dental students were asked to fill Fonseca's questionnaire. The results were analyzed for students from first grade to fifth grade, and the percentage values were compared between males and females, in different levels of education and presence of TMDs.
Results: The results showed that 58.6 % of the subjects exhibited some degree of TMD. Women were the most affected group, with 62.6 % showing some level of TMD, against 37.4 % of men. A statistically significant difference was found between education and TMJ status (p< 0.001). The probability of TMD was 36.7 % in the first grade, 46 % in the second grade, 65.5 % in the third grade, 79.6 % in the fourth grade and 82.3 % in the fifth grade. It was observed that the probability of TMD increased as the education level increased. Students with any level of TMD showed certain features such as: 73 % of women and 66.8 % male subjects described themselves as tense people; 74.5% of female subjects complained from neck pain. Women subjects experienced headache 1.566 times more than men (p<0.001). When considering awareness of the limitation of the mouth opening, women were approximately 1.677 times more affected than men.
Conclusion: In short, clinical signs and symptoms of TMD can arise in young adults and this fact is of great importance for the early diagnosis of the TMD. Commonly reported TMDs among Turkish dental students were rather significant; females and students in advanced academic years showed more severe cases. These results focus on in dental education the need of early evaluation and preventative measures.

Keywords

temporomandibular disorder , Fonseca’s questionnaire , pain , dental students

Ethical Statement

No: GO 17/116-29

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