Evaluación clínica de la disfunción temporomandibular antes del tratamiento ortodóncico.

Abstract

The relationship between orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular dysfunction has been an issue of study for many years and it is not defined yet. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health of the temporomandibular joint prior to orthodontic treatment. A group of 67 patients (38 females, 29 males) ages ranged from 9 to 18 years with a mean age 13.2 years + 5 years, were assessed for temporomandibular dysfunction, using a clinical examination protocol. The main signs and symptoms were checked to determine temporomandibular dysfunction degree. Results show a high prevalence, which, according to observations, was slightly higher in females. Only sliding between centric relation and centric occlusion was higher in males. At the same time, temporomandibular joint clicking was higher in patients older than 13 years. On the other hand, 25% of the sample presented at least one symptom, whilst more than half showed moderate dysfunction and 9 out of 67 patients exhibited severe dysfunction. There was no statistically correlation between sex, age, malocclusion and clinical dysfunction index scores.