Volume 21 - Issue 3

Head, neck, face, and ear pains are commonly associated with disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Several theories have been proposed regarding the functional relationship of the TMJ and the associated structures, and how they might contribute to certain painful conditions. This study was conducted to determine the anatomic relationship of the auriculotemporal nerve to the middle meningeal artery and the mandibular condyle. Forty human cadaver temporomandibular joints were dissected to locate the precise position ...

This study assessed the maxillomandibular relationship in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients, before and after short-term, flat plane bite plate therapy. It was of interest to determine the incidence and degree of mandibular deviation in a group of TMD patients and whether the mandible would shift to the midline and consequently affect reported symptoms. Seventeen female and three male subjects (age range 19-60) were included in the study. Thirteen subjects were diagnosed with myofascial pain while ...

Subjects with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) occasionally present with additional orofacial pain complaints. These can arise from dysfunction in teeth, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and other structures. In this retrospective study, a group of 501 consecutive subjects with TMD complaints were evaluated for the presence of trigeminal neuritis. Very little information on the prevalence of this condition concomitant with TMDs exists in the literature. The existence of trigeminal neuritis was determined by the presence of ...

This study was designed to evaluate the intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability of measurements of masticatory muscle hardness and to confirm that the muscle hardness increases with contraction using a commercially available muscle meter. Twenty healthy asymptomatic female subjects participated in this study. Hardness was expressed as numerical relative values (0-100). First, muscle hardness was measured at a standardized point located in the masseter muscle and temporal muscle in a randomized order by two examiners, and ...

The aim of this study is to show the presence of a correlation between ocular convergence defects (OCD) and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among a group of adult subjects. The group studied was made up of 48 subjects (12 males and 36 females). The average age was 35 with a range of 19-45 years of age. The subjects presented with TMD and muscular pain and/or dysfunction. Forty-eight subjects with TMD for the case study were ...

 The individual single images obtained to document TMJ arthroscopy are often difficult to interpret. The aim of this paper is to make available a new computer-aided image process system to reformat the panoramic arthroscopic images of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Arthroscopic images were input directly into a computer and memorized into a magneto optical disk. Using Photoshop 5.0 (Adobe Systems, Inc., Mountain View, CA) software for Windows 98 (Microsoft Corp., King County, WA) the ...

The hypothesis of a functional coupling between the muscles of the craniomandibular system and the muscles of other body areas is still controversial. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine whether there is a relationship between the craniomandibular system, the craniocervical system and the sacropelvic region. To test this hypothesis, the prevalence and localization of dysfunction of the cervical spine and the sacroiliac joint were examined in a prospective, experimental trial. Twenty healthy ...

The object of this study was to determine the effect of varying thicknesses of orthoses on temporomandibular (TM) joint space. The TM joint space was measured using the centric cut view of tomographic images. The measurements used selected fixed landmarks of the joint complex anatomy to find joint space. The fixed points used for the measurement of the joint space are no  different than the fixed points methodology used in orthodontic cephalometric measurements. The placement ...

 Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is characterized by a combination of symptoms affecting the temporomandibular joint and/or chewing muscles. The two most common clinical TMD symptoms are pain and dysfunction. Pain is usually caused by dysfunction, and emergency therapy has focused on controlling it. Recent investigations into TMD have led to the recommendation of antidepressants as a supporting treatment against constant neuralgic pain. The aim of this double-blind study was to verify the efficiency of antidepressants ...

An unusual case of traumatic arthritis associated with acute dislocation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), successfully treated by arthroscopy, is reported. The intraarticular pathology Ais described and the management of arthroscopic lysis and lavage for traumatic arthritis of the TMJ is discussed.