Investigation of Factors Affecting Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: Sampling of The Faculty of Dentistry of Kırıkkale University

Objective: In this study, factors affecting temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) among Kırıkkale University Faculty of Dentistry students were investigated by confirmatory factor analysis. Data were obtained using the Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI). Methods: The FAI scale and its factor structure were first analysed using the scree plot, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin statistics, Bartlett's Test of Sphericity, Cronbach's Alpha and Guttman's Lamda6 coefficients. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the proposed factor structure. Results: All scale items appear to have a significant effect on FAI (p<0.01). The item in the "F1-Function-comorbidity" sub-factor of the FAI scale that has the greatest impact is Item I1, which is related to difficulty in opening the mouth wide. The variance explained by the latent factor is 77.9%. The variable with the second highest impact on this F1 factor was Item I6, which was about whether earache or jaw pain was present. The variance explained by the latent factor is 65.9%. In addition, the variable with the highest impact in the "F2-Occlusion-parafunction-psychology " sub-factor is Item I8, which is about the habit of clenching or grinding teeth. The variance explained by the latent factor is 45.6%. Conclusions: According to the results obtained, the reliability and consistency of the FAI scale was ensured. Considering all the fit criteria, it turned out that the proposed model was valid for the sample. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the data provided a good fit to the proposed model, as evidenced by the RMSEA, SRMR, GFI, AGFI, CFI, NFI, NNFI, TLI, CR, and AVE indices. It is thought that the application of different physiotherapy techniques can reduce the problems caused by TMD in patients, make it easier to open the mouth wide, and be effective in controlling teeth clenching and jaw pain.