Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) and neck structure changes in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) by clinical examination. Material and Methods: The study included 51 patients affected by IS (24 males, 27 females; mean age: 13.5 ± 2.1 years) selected using simple random sampling, and a healthy control group of 50 subjects (23 males, 27 females; mean age: 14.5 ± 2.3 years). The Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders: Clinical Protocol and Assessment Instruments (DC/TMD) form was utilized to assess the signs and symptoms of TMD in the subjects. For the evaluation of neck structures, masseter and temporalis muscles, pressure pain threshold (PPT) values were measured with a hand-held pressure algometer. Obtained data were analyzed statistically applying Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon, and chi-squared tests with a significance level of 0.05. Results: According to the DC/TMD form, the following parameters showed statistically significant differences between the groups (p 0.001): presence of TMD, temporal headache, midline deviation, and right and left lateral movements. The PPT values were higher in the control group compared with the study group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the type of pain-related TMD identified in the subjects was myalgia. The myalgia was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the study group (68.6%) than in the control group (22%). Conclusion: This study concluded that spinal diseases which cause postural changes, like IS, in the head and shoulder region are associated with muscle adaptation and alterations in the temporomandibular joint area.
Highlights
The influence of spinal deformities on temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) is a current topic with no consensus as of yet
Resulting pressure pain threshold (PPT) values were higher in the control group compared with the study group, as verified by the statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001).When the right and left mean values of the groups were analyzed for intragroup evaluation, a statistically significant difference was noted for temporalis muscle (right-left: 3.6 kg/f/cm2 Š2.1 kg/f/cm2– 4.1 kg/f/cm21 - 3.1 kg/f/cm2 Š2.9 kg/f/cm2 – 3.6 kg/f/cm21 and TMJ in the control group (p < 0.001) (Table 2)
The results of the present study show lower PPT values for the study group; this suggests that the patient group is more prone to have pain in the evaluated muscles than the control group
Summary
The influence of spinal deformities on temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) is a current topic with no consensus as of yet. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have a multifactorial etiology, and the guidelines of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain have proposed a link between cervical spine disorders and TMD. Recent literature investigates the etiologic factors of TMD and the link between different postural anomalies and spinal diseases. A study by Kondo et al demonstrated that changes in head posture can cause structural deformities in TMJ or TMD [5]. These findings, which are present in scoliosis, raise the question of whether this disease is related to TMD or not.
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