BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: University professors are part of a category of professionals constantly submitted to stress, which may trigger a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). By recognizing this relationship, this study aimed at evaluating the prevalence and severity of TMD in university professors. METHODS: A sample of 200 individuals of both genders, above 25 years of age, who were still not diagnosed with TMD, was divided in two groups: Group I, made up of university professors, and Group II made up of individuals of any other professional activity, different from teaching. Volunteers were asked to fill a historical questionnaire which allowed a classification of the presence and severity of TMD. RESULTS: Participated in this study 95 males and 105 females. With regard to TMD severity in Group I, it was observed that 62.7% of evaluated individuals were classified as having mild TMD; 25.3% as having moderate TMD; and 12% as having severe TMD. In Group II, 73.9% had mild TMD; 24.6% had moderate TMD; and 1.4% had severe TMD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TMD among professors was not different from the group of non professors. When professors had TMD, the level of severity was higher as compared to non professors.
Facial pain; Prevalence; Temporomandibular disorder; Temporomandibular joint
