More than 400,000 people have been treated in hospitals and clinics for temporomandibular joint a year.
National Health Insurance Service announced on the 15th the present condition of health insurance treatment for ‘temporomandibular joint’ disorders over the past five years (2015-2019).
The number increased from 353,281 in 2015 to 413,865 in 2019, the report said. The number rose 4.0% annually and 17.1% (about 61,000) than that of 2015.
By gender, the number of male patients jumped 19.0% (27,000) from about 141,000 in 2015 to 168,000 in 2019, higher than the 15.9% increase in women.
In 2019, 805 patients were diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorders per 100,000 people. This is an increase of 15.0% from 700 in 2015.
During this period, the number of patients per 100,000 population also had a greater increase in males (17.1%) than females (13.7%).
However, treated women per 100,000 people were 961, 1.5 times higher than that of men. In 2019, the number of patients by age per 100,000 people peaked at 1,992 women and 1,347 men in their 20s and showed a decline as age increases.
The total expense of medical treatment for ‘temporomandibular joint’ disorders of health insurance beneficiaries continued to increase from KRW 31.11 billion in 2015 to KRW 45.83 billion in 2019.
Total annual medical expenses increased by 10.2% annually, 47.3% larger than 2015 in 2019, with female medical costs accounting for 65% (about KRW 29.65 billion) of the total medical expenses in 2019.
In 2019, medical expenses per person for temporomandibular joint disorders were estimated to be KRW 111,000 (USD 100), up 25.8% from 2015.
Meanwhile, according to Kim Moon-ki, a professor of oral and maxillofacial at Ilsan Hospital of the National Health Insurance, temporomandibular joint disorders are caused by abnormalities such as temporomandibular joint and surrounding masticatory muscles, but also emotional (or mental) factors.
Professor Kim said, “temporomandibular joint disorders can be caused by stress, anxiety, or depression. Female hormones (estrogen) are reported to affect the temporomandibular joint disorders, but nothing has been clarified yet.”
