Abstract
In the present study, we investigated the prognosis of initial treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) closed lock using the actual range of painful mouth opening (obtained by subtracting the range of painless unassisted mouth opening from the range of painful unassisted mouth opening) as an indicator.
The subjects were 27 patients (4 men, 23 women) among 106 patients diagnosed with TMJ closed lock from a total of 341 patients with TMJ disorders who initially visited our hospital from September 2004 to February 2007 (period: 2 years and 6 months). The mean age was 40.3 years (range: 14 to 74 years). The subjects were classified by the actual range of painful mouth opening into the 6mm group (n=16) and the <6mm group (n=11), and these two groups were compared with regard to lock duration, treatment period, VAS pain score, and maximum range of mouth opening.
The improvement rates, which were calculated as a percentage of improved cases among the subjects in each group, were evaluated by the classification of TMJ dysfunction.
Results: The rate of improvement following treatment was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the 6mm group (94%) compared to the <6mm group (36%), irrespective of the range of unassisted mouth opening at the initial visit. Therefore, the actual range of painful mouth opening was thought to be an important indicator for predicting the effectiveness of initial treatment for TMJ closed lock.
