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Abstract
For this study, 749 randomly selected children in the 7–14 age group and adolescents between 15 and 18 were interviewed and clinically examined.
Thirty-six percent of the children and 41% of the adolescents reported symptoms. About 75% of the individuals examined reported oral parafunctions. Nailbiting and lip/cheek biting were evenly distributed by age, while grinding and clenching decreased with age.
The prevalence figures for recurrent headaches were 14% and 16% in the two age groups. Tenderness to palpation of the TMJ muscles was often recorded among individuals with recurrent headaches. Furthermore, the individuals with headaches in the younger age group often reported oral parafunctions, such as lip/cheek biting and nailbiting, while the older age group often reported grinding and clenching.
Clickings that gradually increased with age were reported in 13% of the children and in 17% of the adolescents.
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Notes on contributors
Maria Nilner
Maria Nilner, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Dr. Nilner received her D.D.S. degree from the Faculty of Odontology, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden, in 1969, and she completed her Ph.D. there in 1983. She is now acting professor and chairman of the Department of Stomatognathic Physiology at the University of Lund. She also has a part-time private practice and serves as a consultant at Malmö General Hospital.
Dr. Nilner belongs to the Swedish Dental Association, the Society of Oral Physiology, and the International Association for Dental Research. She has given a number of lectures and postgraduate courses, and she has published articles and abstracts in a number of professional journals.