Sounds Produced by the Mandibular Joint in a Sample of Healthy Workers

A sample of 6718 healthy persons were asked, during an examination in connection with getting a job, whether they had noticed sounds emanating from their temporomandibular joints. A total of 20.1% of the job applicants reported hearing joint sounds. Crepitation or clicking was found in more than 12.2% of the sample on palpation. Auscultatory examination revealed sounds in almost 72.5% of the individuals. When examined with a phonocardiograph, 84% of a randomly selected subgroup demonstrated joint sounds. Considering the frequency with which this symptom occurred in healthy individuals, caution must be exercised in interpreting joint sounds as definite proof of arthropathy.