Abstract
To evaluate the effect of the lavage manipulation technique on mandibular function, the mandibular movement in 12 TMD patients before and after treatment were analyzed. All the subjects having trismus due to an articular disc displacement without reduction were treated in unilateral TMJ at which they feel pain and/or stuck on opening. The articular disc position was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging in 10 of 12 subjects. Mandibular movements including open-close, lateral excursion, and protrusive jaw movements were recorded with a six-degree of freedom jaw tracking device. In open-close jaw movement, initial translations of 29.65±5.15mm at an incisal point increased to 44.06±6.73mm after treatment (p<0.01; paired t-test). Condylar point translation also changed significantly from 7.30±2.41mm to 14.61±3.22mm in the treated side, and from 7.62±.33mm to 15.24±2.86mm in the non-treated side (p<0.01; paired t-test). The rest of the parameters were revealed to increase range of translation significantly after the lavage manipulation technique than before.
Although the lavage manipulation technique was utilized unilaterally, the range of the contralateral condylar movement was also expanded along with the trated side. These results would contribute to make clear for mandibular function based on the complex joint system of TMJ.
