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GERODONTOLOGY COMPARISON OF DENTAL STATUS AND ORAL FUNCTION BETWEEN THE ELDERLY WITH AND WITHOUT TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS Minh Son Nguyen 1,2a* , Ülle Voog-Oras 1b , Triin Jagomägi 1c , Mare Saag 1d Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Raekoja plats 6, 51003 Tartu, Estonia Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Stomatology, Danang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, 99 Hung Vuong, Danang, Vietnam 1 2 DDS, PhD, Head of Department MD, PhD, Associate Professor c DDS, PhD, Associate Professor d DDS, PhD, Professor, Head of Institute a b ABSTRACT DOI: 10.25241/stomaeduj.2018.5(2).art.6 Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a group of disorders that may cause functional limitations. The aim of the study was to compare the differences in dental status, oral behaviour, and mandibular functional limitations between TMD and non-TMD elderly people in Vietnam. Methodology: The sample consisted of 146 TMD and 112 non-TMD elderly. The dental and periodontal status were evaluated with DMFT and CPI indices. The participants self-rated frequency of oral behaviour activities (21-item Oral Behaviour Checklist) and mandibular functional limitations (20-item Jaw Functional Limitation Scale). Results: The mean number of missing teeth in TMD group was 9.6 ± 8.6, while it was 7.6 ± 6.4 in non-TMD group (p = 0.036). Gingival bleeding in TMD group was detected at 18.3 ± 10.2 teeth, which was less than in non-TMD group (21.0 ± 8.7, p = 0.023). The mean number of sextants with a 0–3 mm clinical attachment loss was high for non-TMD group (1.4 ± 2.0, p = 0.021), while the mean number of excluded sextants was high for TMD group (1.3 ± 1.8, p = 0.037). The TMD elderly group reported more frequent instances of “Hold, tighten, or tense muscles” than non-TMD group. No significant differences were found in the self-rated mandibular functional limitations between the two groups. Conclusion: TMD were associated with missing teeth and periodontal diseases. There was no association between TMD and mandibular functional limitations. The elderly suffering from TMD tended to have increased frequency of holding, tightening, or tensing muscles. Keywords: dental caries, elderly, mastication, oral function, temporomandibular disorders. 1. Introduction Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are the group of disorders affecting the temporomandibular joint and structure-related joint. The prevalence of TMD in the older adult population varies from 33% to 56.6% [1,2]. TMD often cause orofacial pain, limit the function of the masticatory system, and also impact on quality of life [3]. Multiple factors contribute to the TMD process. Dentition is a part of the masticatory system, and the global burden of dental caries and periodontal diseases can increase the risk of TMD in the older adult population [4]. Our previous studies indicate that more than 50% suffer from TMD [2]. Studies on TMD at the age over 60 years old also reported that 17.5–52.2% of patients had less than 20 teeth, and 10.9–34.3% were edentulousness [5–7]. After dental pain, TMD is the most the common cause of pain in the orofacial area; therefore, dental diseases and TMD may share symptoms and clinical comorbidities. The parafunctional habits of bruxism and teeth clenching have been regarded as risk factors for TMD pain [8–10]. TMD patients are also limited in their daily activities and have increased frequency of oral parafunction [11,12]. The cumulative risk 118 OPEN ACCESS This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license. Peer-Reviewed Article Citation: Nguyen MS, Voog-Oras Ü, Jagomägi T, Saag M. Comparison of dental status and oral function in the elderly with and without temporomandibular disor- ders. Stoma Edu J. 2018;5(2):118-124. Academic Editor: Hiroshi Ogawa, DDS, MDSc, PhD, Associate Professor, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan Received: May 22, 2018 Revised: May 28, 2018 Acccepted: June 18, 2018 Published: June 20, 2018 *Corresponding author: Dr. Minh Son Nguyen, DDS, PhD Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu 6 Raekoja Plats, Tartu 51003, Estonia. Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], e-mail: [email protected] Copyright: © 2018 the Editorial Council for the Stomatology Edu Journal. factors of ageing contribute to the increasing signs of TMD, including limited mouth opening, muscular tenderness, and TMJ sounds, all of which can affect on masticatory performance. Ohrbach et al. [13] and Markiewicz et al. [14] initially developed the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) axis II to determine the presence of parafunctional and functional limitations of the masticatory system. However, norms have not yet been established for those instruments, particularly in the older adult population. Regardless of whether or not elderly with TMD have more limited oral function compared to those free from TMD, because many factors such as dental status, neuromuscular changes, and psychosocial factors can influence oral function of this age group. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare the differences in dental status, oral behaviours, and functional limitations of the masticatory system between the TMD and non-TMD elderly people. 2. Materials and methods The total sample comprised 258 volunteer participants aged 65–74 years in Danang City, Vietnam. Based on clinical examination of TMD according to DC/TMD axis Stoma Edu J. 2018;5(2): 118-124 http://www.stomaeduj.com