The following presentation was prepared based on my experience of treating approximately 1,000 temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) patients over the past 15 years.
In one study, I researched the relationship between systemic joint laxity and dislocation of the disc, and concluded that a) temporomandibular joint is not just a joint in one's jaw but is an important component of one's entire body and that b) it reflects how a patient's other parts of the body functions.
Another study was conducted on the relationship between the signs and symptoms of TMD and personality types. The research results revealed that a) those with unstable emotional state tend to suffer from TMD and that b) those who suffer from TMD tend to have unstable emotional state. This finding confirmed the body-mind connectedness; one's mind and body influence each other, and it is impossible to separat e one from the other.
The other study on menopausal female patients who suffer from TMD revealed that a) it is necessary to involve psychosomatic medicine to the treatment of TMD patients and that b) many patients benefit from interdisciplinary treatment from the perspectives of psychiatry, psychosomatic internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology
