Objective: To assess the impact of the university context of different academic fields and class times and the sociodemographic context on the symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD).
Methods: A total of 2912 university students, divided into 26 undergraduate courses distributed in the fields of biology and exact and human sciences in the day and night participated in this study. The symptoms of orofacial pain and TMD were assessed using a self-explanatory questionnaire for screening, as recommended by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. The data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables and multiple logistic regression at a 5% significance level.
Results: There was a significant association between the female sex and the attended class time. Women and undergraduates of night courses were 1.60 times more likely to present symptoms related to TMD compared to women studying during the day.
Conclusion: It was concluded that, within the university context, women and undergraduate students enrolled in night courses were more likely to present with TMD symptoms.
Keywords: Temporomandibular joint; prevalence; students; temporomandibular joint disorders; universities.