1993 Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 89-100
A clinico-statistical study of 650 patients with temporomandibular joint arthrosis who visted the Clinic of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Hirosaki University Hospital over a period of 10 years from January 1980 until December 1989.
The following results were obtained. The number of patients with this disease tended to increase year by year, and the mean percentage of these patients, out of all new patients, was 7.4% during the past ten years. The patients consisted of 173 males and 477 females, and the predominance of female was significant. By age group, 27.2% of the patients were in their twenties, 16.6% in their teens, 16.5% in their thirties, followed by those in the fifties, forties, and over sixties. The distribution of age groups had two peaks. The illness was manifested laterally in 85.5%, and bilaterally in 14.2% of cases. A single symptom was more common than many at the onset of the disease, and the chief complaint at the first visit to our clinic. TMJ pain was the most observed among these symptoms. The interval between noticing symptoms and visiting our clinic was within 6 months in 57.2% of cases. Before consultation in our clinic 51.4% of patients had visited other clinics. Most patients had two or three symptoms on the first visit. TMJ pain was recognized in 70% of cases, TMJ noise in 46.2% and trismus in 42.5%.
The remedies included medication and dental treatment such as occlusal splint, occlusal adjustment, extraction of the tooth and so on. Combination therapy, medication and occlusal splint therapy were applied in 60% of cases. Marked or partial improvement of TMJ symptoms was observed in 45.1% of the patients, though treatment was discontinued in 53.6% of case.
