What is a typical clinical sign of disc displacement with reduction?

• A. Pain only at rest
• B. Absence of any noise
• C. Clicking sound on opening and closing, sometimes intermittent
• D. Noise only on chewing

Answer: (C)

The key sign is a clicking or popping sound produced during jaw movement. In disc displacement with reduction, the articular disc sits anterior to the condyle when the mouth is closed. As you start to open, the condyle glides forward and the disc “reduces” back into place, producing a sudden change in contact that you hear as a click. This clicking can occur with opening and closing and is sometimes intermittent, depending on how the disc sits and moves.

Pain can be present but isn’t the defining feature, and the absence of noise would argue against this condition. Noise that only happens with chewing is less typical than the characteristic movement-related click. So the best description is a clicking sound during opening and closing, sometimes intermittent.