How common is TMJ?

Maybe you have just been told your jaw pain is a TMJ problem, or you have been reading about it at 2 a.m. and wondering whether you are unusual. You are in very good company, and the numbers show it.

The tricky part is that the figures you find online range from about 5 per cent to more than 30 per cent. Below I go through where each number comes from, why they disagree, and what the research says about age and sex, so you can read any TMJ statistic with a clear head.

In short

About 5 per cent of US adults have TMD, the jaw joint and muscle problem most people call TMJ (NIDCR, 2026). That figure is based on people reporting jaw pain. Studies that examine people find a joint disorder in about 31 per cent of adults, most often a disc that clicks (Valesan et al., 2021), which on its own is often painless (NIDCR, 2026).

• Survey figures count pain people notice, while exam studies also count painless joint findings such as clicking, which is why the numbers differ so much.
• Women report TMJ-type pain about twice as often as men, and exam studies find about twice the odds of TMD in women (National Academies, 2020; Bueno et al., 2018).
• In US survey data, jaw pain is most common in middle age and less common in young adults and people over 65 (National Academies, 2020).

How many people have TMJ?

In the US, an analysis of the 2017-2018 National Health Interview Survey estimated that 11.2 to 12.4 million adults, or 4.8 per cent of the population, had pain in the jaw joint area that could be related to TMD (National Academies, 2020). The NIDCR gives a similar figure of about 5 per cent of adults and adds that the estimate depends on the population studied and how the condition is assessed (NIDCR, 2026).

That rate has stayed fairly steady. With the same three-month survey question, single-year estimates ranged from 4.3 per cent in 1999 to 5.2 per cent in 2018, a difference that was not statistically significant, which the National Academies report describes as a fairly consistent prevalence over 20 years (National Academies, 2020).

Worldwide, a 2024 meta-analysis pooled 74 studies with 172,239 people and found TMD in 34 per cent. The figure was 29 per cent in Europe, 26 per cent in North America, 33 per cent in Asia and 47 per cent in South America (Zieliński et al., 2024).

Why do TMJ statistics disagree so much?

Mostly because the studies count different things. The National Academies report concludes that the prevalence of TMD symptoms varies widely depending on the assessment used and the population studied, and puts much of the gap down to different case definitions (National Academies, 2020).

The US survey asks one question: whether you had facial ache or pain in the jaw muscles or the joint in front of the ear that lasted a whole day or more in the past three months. Nobody examines you, so the report notes it lacks specificity and likely overestimates TMD (National Academies, 2020). Even so, it only captures people with pain.

Exam studies work the other way. A 2021 meta-analysis included only studies that diagnosed people with the standard research criteria (RDC/TMD or DC/TMD). It found a joint disorder in 31.1 per cent of adults and older people, and the most common finding by far was a disc that slips and clicks back into place, seen in 25.9 per cent (Valesan et al., 2021). The NIDCR states that clicking or popping without pain is common, considered normal and needs no treatment (NIDCR, 2026). So a large part of that 31 per cent are people who would never call themselves TMJ patients.

The 34 per cent global figure mixes clinical exams with questionnaires, and its authors point out that their analysis cannot separate painful from painless forms (Zieliński et al., 2024). When you see a big number, check whether it counts pain or any finding at all. If clicking is your main symptom, our article on jaw clicking explains when it matters.

How many people develop TMJ each year?

The best data on new cases come from OPPERA, a US study that followed 2,737 men and women aged 18 to 44 who did not have TMD at the start. Over a median of 2.8 years, 260 of them developed it, an average rate of 4 per cent a year (Slade et al., 2013).

The gap between pain and diagnosis shows up here too. In the wider OPPERA cohort of 3,258 adults, 4 per cent a year developed TMD that an examiner could confirm, while 19 per cent a year reported facial pain symptoms. The researchers call this a symptom iceberg (Slade et al., 2016). Our article on how long TMJ lasts looks at what happens after onset.

Is TMJ more common in women or men?

Women are affected more often. In the US survey, 6.2 per cent of women and 3.2 per cent of men reported TMJ-type pain (National Academies, 2020). A meta-analysis of five population studies with 2,518 adults, all examined with the research criteria, found that women had about twice the odds of TMD overall (odds ratio 2.24), and higher odds in every diagnostic group (Bueno et al., 2018). The NIDCR also says TMD is twice as common in women as in men (NIDCR, 2026).

OPPERA found only a slightly higher, statistically non-significant rate of new TMD in women. The difference shows up in what happens next: 54 per cent of women moved from a first episode to persistent TMD, compared with 41 per cent of men (National Academies, 2020).

At what age is TMJ most common?

Mostly in the middle years of adult life. The NIDCR says TMD is especially common in women between 35 and 44 (NIDCR, 2026). In the 2017-2018 US survey data, jaw pain followed an inverted U shape, highest at ages 45 to 54 (5.4 per cent) and lower at 18 to 24 (4.2 per cent) and 65 to 74 (3.7 per cent) (National Academies, 2020). The report notes that prevalence falls after reproductive age (National Academies, 2020).

For younger adults, OPPERA found that the rate of new TMD rose with age across the 18 to 44 range, and there were no data beyond 44 (National Academies, 2020).

Children and teenagers get TMD too, at lower rates. The 2021 meta-analysis found a joint disorder in 11.3 per cent of children and adolescents (Valesan et al., 2021), and the National Academies report cites a review with a pooled figure of 16 per cent, noting that prevalence rises with age through childhood (National Academies, 2020).

The 2024 meta-analysis, which mixes exams and questionnaires, reported 41 per cent at ages 18 to 60 and 36 per cent over 60, though the figure for over-60s was uncertain (Zieliński et al., 2024). These figures again include painless findings.

Try it: which number describes you?

When someone asks me whether their jaw is "normal", this is how I help them place themselves in the statistics. It sorts your symptoms and does not give you a diagnosis.

1. Ask yourself whether you have had pain in your jaw muscles or in front of your ear that lasted a whole day or more in the last three months. That is the survey question behind the 5 per cent figure (National Academies, 2020).
2. Notice whether your jaw clicks or pops. On its own and without pain, this belongs to the large group in exam studies and is considered normal (NIDCR, 2026).
3. Check the other signs on the NIDCR list: jaw stiffness, limited opening or locking, painful clicking or grating, and pain that spreads to the face or neck (NIDCR, 2026).
4. Write down how long it has been going on and what makes it worse, such as chewing or stress, which the NHS says can make the pain worse (NHS TMD, 2023).

If you answered yes to step 1 or step 3, a dentist or physiotherapist can examine you properly. The TMJ exercises page shows gentle movements you can start with in the meantime.

How JawBuddy helps

JawBuddy is a digital companion for guided jaw exercises and self-management. The NHS advises keeping your teeth apart except when eating, and a physiotherapist can show you jaw exercises (NHS TMD, 2023).

JawBuddy does not replace emergency care or an individual diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional.

When should you see a doctor?

Emergency: call 999 in the UK, 911 in the US or 112 in the EU if:

• you have chest pain spreading to your arms, neck or jaw (NHS heart attack, 2026).

Urgent: ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:

• you cannot eat or drink, or your jaw is locking (NHS TMD, 2023),
• you have frequent, severe headaches, or pain or tenderness at the side of your head or on the scalp (NHS TMD, 2023),
• you have vision problems, such as double vision or loss of vision (NHS TMD, 2023).

If self-care is not enough, the NHS says a GP may suggest stronger painkillers, relaxation techniques or a referral to a dentist, physiotherapist or psychologist, and a specialist if those do not help (NHS TMD, 2023).

Being common does not mean you have to put up with it

Millions of people live with jaw pain, and the NHS describes TMD as usually not serious and says it generally gets better on its own (NHS TMD, 2023). Pain that gets in the way of your meals or your sleep still deserves attention, however common it is. Start with the self-check above, then read our TMJ disorder guide for causes and treatment options, or the jaw pain page if you are not sure the problem is your jaw joint.