The Effect of Chronic Physical Exercise with Different Intensities on the Incidence of Temporomandibular Disorder in Amateur Athletes

Background: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a multifactorial dysfunction of the masticatory system, with physical stress contributing through inflammation, microtrauma, and joint damage. While athletes show higher TMD prevalence due to physical load, evidence on chronic exercise intensity in amateur athletes remains scarce.Understanding the relationship between physical activity intensity and musculoskeletal health enables this study to contribute to achieving good health and well-being through the prevention of TMD. 

Method: Participants were 64 male amateur athletes selected through purposive sampling. Physical activity was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), while temporomandibular disorder (TMD) was evaluated with the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD). The data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test (p < 0.05) in SPSS version 29. When the p-value was below 0.05 (p = 0.014), it indicated a statistically significant association between physical activity intensity and TMD incidence. 

Result: A total of 64 participants were included in the study, comprising 4 individuals (6.3%) who engaged in low-intensity physical activity, 27 individuals (42.2%) in moderate-intensity activity, and 33 individuals (51.6%) in high-intensity activity. Among them, 40 participants exhibited symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD), while 24 (37.5%) did not. The highest prevalence of TMD was observed in the high-intensity group (40.6%) with p = 0.014. 

Conclusion: TMD occurred due to increased stress levels caused by chronic physical exercise. High-intensity chronic physical exercise has the potential to cause TMD in amateur athletes.