Background: Although temporomandibular disorders (TMD) problem among Thai adults is increasing, research studies regarding TMD in Thailand are still scarce.

Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate prevalence of as well as factors associated with TMD in Thai adults.

Method: The survey was conducted on 1,874 Thai adults (656 males and 1,218 females), aged 20-93 years, residing in several provinces of central and northeastern Thailand, using both the questionnaire and the oral health examination. Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate statistics and multivariable logistic regression to adjust for confounding variables.

Results: The results showed that 20.5% of the participants had TMD. Findings from the multivariable logistic regression model revealed that TMD was inversely associated with body mass index and diabetes, with the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) (95% CI) being 0.949 (0.919-0.981) and 0.674 (0.478-0.952), respectively. Shallow periodontal pocket and having social security welfare were directly related to TMD with the aOR (95% CI) being 1.353 (1.044-1.754) and 4.198 (2.859-6.166). The effect of an interaction between age and heart disease towards TMD was significant (aOR (95% CI) being 0.921 (0.869-0.976)) It was shown that having heart disease did increase the magnitude of association at all levels of age. Age and gender were important in modelling the association of TMD. Therefore they were retained in the model although they were not significant.   

Conclusion: The prevalence of TMD in these Thai adults is substantial. The findings that several risk indicators are associated with TMD suggest the need for various actions to effectively approach this problem. The implications of this research may be of use not only acting as a baseline for future study but also for prevention and planning to reduce TMD problem among adults in Thailand.

Key words: TMD, factors, adults, Thailand