Temporomandibular clinical exploration in Italian adolescents.

This study investigated the prevalence of the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among Italian adolescents. The data were recorded from 567 subjects (246 males and 321 females; age range 11-19 years), grouped according to age and molar class relationship. Forty-four point one percent of subjects showed at least one sign or symptom of TMD, which were significantly more frequent in the 16-19 year-old group (52.9%) in respect to the 11-15 year-old group (39.8%) (χ TMD signs and/or symptoms among Italian adolescents seem diffused (44.1%). Therefore, all adolescents should be screened thorough medical history and clinical examination.