Jaw Dysfunction Is Associated with Neck Disability and Muscle Tenderness in Subjects with and without Chronic Temporomandibular Disorders

Purpose. Tender points in the neck are common in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with TMD still needs further investigation. This study investigated the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with and without chronic TMD. Participants. Forty females between 19 and 49 years old were included in this study.There were 20 healthy controls and 20 subjects who had chronic TMD and neck disability. Methods. Subjects completed the neck disability index and the limitations of daily functions in TMD questionnaires. Tenderness of the masticatory and cervical muscles was measured using an algometer. Results. The correlation between jaw disability and neck disability was significantly high (� = 0.915, � \u3c 0.05). The correlation between level of muscle tenderness in the masticatory and cervical muscles with jaw dysfunction and neck disability showed fair to moderate correlations (� = 0.32–0.65). Conclusion. High levels of muscle tenderness in upper trapezius and temporalis muscles correlated with high levels of jaw and neck dysfunction. Moreover, high levels of neck disability correlated with high levels of jaw disability.These findings emphasize the importance of considering the neck and its structures when evaluating and treating patients with TMD

A comparison of the head and cervical posture between the self-balanced position and the Frankfurt method

Schilling, A. Health Faculty, Dentistry School, University of Talca, Chile.Head and cervical posture evaluation has been a concern for many years, not only because of the purported relationship that exists between head and cervical posture in the presence of temporomandibular disorders, neck pain and headache, but also because of the biomechanical relationship between the head and cervical spine and dentofacial structures. Many methods have been suggested in an attempt to establish the best way to evaluate the position of the head using teleradiographs and cephalometric analysis. However, there is still no agreement as to which procedure is the best. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences that exist between craniocervical measurements in lateral teleradiographs when comparing the position of the head in the self-balanced position to the position of the head using the Frankfurt method (Frankfurt plane parallel to the floor). Sixty-eight subjects who sought dental treatment in community health centres in Talca, Chile participated in this study. Rocabado analysis was used to measure the craniocervical variables. The Cobb analysis was used to measure cervical lordosis. A paired student t-test was used to evaluate the differences between both procedures, using an α of 0·05 and a power of 0·90. The use of the cephalostat changed only the craniocervical angle (P < 0·001). However, this change was minimal. No changes related to gender and age were found. More studies are needed to determine the variation between different procedures and to define a good procedure for evaluating head posture