Abstract
For the examination of craniomandibular disorders (CMD) patient in clinical dentistry, medical interview, measurement of mouth opening limitations and stethos of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are generally employed. However, it is not fully understood whether these examinations are reliable to make a correct diagnosis of the CMD patients.
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of the examinations on the diagnosis of CMD by the 3-way cross table of the Mantel-Haenszel method and the discriminant analysis. The evaluated examinations included spontaneous pain, movement pain, dull ache, TMJ sounds, mouth opening limitations and TMJ pain. The subjects employed were 153 CMD-suspected patients who visited the Department of Prosthodontics, Osaka Dental University Hospital.
The obtained results were as follows:
1. The sex difference had no significant effects on each examination.
2. No confounding was detected in each examination.
3. Movement pain and dull pain were found helpful to make a correct diagnosis of the muscle disorders, but spontaneous pain and TMJ pain were not helpful.
