Introduction: Few studies have studied the relationship between self-report of temporomandibular(TMD) pain and examination findings among adolescents in population-based studies. Objective: Measure the relationship between self reported TMD pain and examination among adolescents. Methods: 3101 children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 participated in a population-based cross-sectional study of risk factors for chronic pain. All subjects who reported TMD pain in the past 3 months and a random sample of subjects not reporting pain were examined in the field by calibrated research hygienists. Diagnoses resulting from the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) field interview and examination were used as the gold standard. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for all subjects and for age/gender subgroups. Results: Using data from 203 cases and 194 controls, the sensitivity for self-report of TMD pain with myalgia (Grp 1) or arthralgia (Grp III) diagnoses was 80%; specificity was 62%. For females, the values for sensitivity and specificity were 75% and 64%, and for males, 87% and 61%, respectively. Eleven-year-old females' sensitivity and specificity were 82% and 67%, males' were 81% and 61%; 12- to 13-year-old females, 33% and 35%, males 81% and 61%; 14- to 15-year-old females, 70% and 80%, males, 86% and 50%; 16- to 17-year-old females, 76% and 70%; and males, 92% and 65%. Conclusions: Report of TMD pain was more closely associated with clinical examination diagnoses in adolescent boys than girls. The 11 year old and 16- to 17-year-old subjects showed the highest sensitivity and specificity values, while the 12- to 13-year-old girls and 14- to 15-year-old boys had the lowest values. We hypothesize that the differences between self-report and examination findings are related to the fleeting nature of TMD symptoms in adolescence, the subclinical nature of TMD, and possibly the effects of pubertal development. Funded by NIDCR P01 DE08773

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