Assessment of the prevalence of temporomandibular joint disorder among vocalists and musicians using a questionnaire study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the risk for symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) prevalent among the vocalists and musicians in Indian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 367 musicians filled an online questionnaire to participate in the study, 9 of whom were excluded. Results: The prevalence of TMJ pain was highest among the wind instrument players (50.8%) followed by the violinists (28.6%). The musicians who noticed joint sounds were highest among the wind instrumentalists (68.3%). Incidence of difficulty in mouth opening was more in wind instrumentalists (41.3%) and violinists (23.2%). The participants who reported having jaw, cheek, temple or headache pain was highest (68.3%) among players of wind instruments. The number of participants who reported to be suffering from pain in the shoulder or neck region was predominant in wind instrumentalists (73%). Conclusion: The results imply that playing musical instruments increases the possibility of developing TMD, with wind instrumentalists being at a higher risk.