BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: University professors are part of a category of professionals constantly submitted to stress, which may trigger a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). By recognizing this relationship, this study aimed at evaluating the prevalence and severity of TMD in university professors. METHODS: A sample of 200 individuals of both genders, above 25 years of age, who were still not diagnosed with TMD, was divided in two groups: Group I, made up of university professors, and Group II made up of individuals of any other professional activity, different from teaching. Volunteers were asked to fill a historical questionnaire which allowed a classification of the presence and severity of TMD. RESULTS: Participated in this study 95 males and 105 females. With regard to TMD severity in Group I, it was observed that 62.7% of evaluated individuals were classified as having mild TMD; 25.3% as having moderate TMD; and 12% as having severe TMD. In Group II, 73.9% had mild TMD; 24.6% had moderate TMD; and 1.4% had severe TMD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TMD among professors was not different from the group of non professors. When professors had TMD, the level severity was higher as compared to non professors. Keywords: Facial pain, Prevalence, Temporomandibular disorder, Temporomandibular joint. RESUMO JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS:O professor de ensino superior faz parte de uma categoria de profissionais que é submetida constantemente a estresse, podendo desencadear uma disfunção temporomandibular (DTM). Ao reconhecer essa relação, este Temporomandibular disorder prevalence and severity in university professors* Prevalência e gravidade de disfunção temporomandibular em professores do ensino superior