Introduction:

Drug consumption may be an etiological agent of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) which should be considered when diagnosing a patient and developing a treatment plan. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of TMD signs and symptoms in a drug-dependent population at the beginning of their admission, and to analyze possible associated factors.

Materials and methods:

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that included patients at the beginning of treatment for problematic drug use. We studied 135 subjects admitted to Portal Amarillo, Uruguay. The patients were examined by a calibrated researcher. Informed consent was requested from each participant and/or their legal representative.

Results:

The prevalence of subjects with one or more current TMD signs was 29.7%, and those with one or more current TMD symptoms accounted for 68.8%. The prevalence of current TMD symptoms showed a significant association with self-perceived stress (p=.03), mate consumption (p=.03) and alcohol consumption (p=.03).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of current TMD symptoms in the population under treatment for drug dependence is high compared to the general population. This should be considered when developing prevention and therapeutic strategies.

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