Abstract
The new coronavirus was reported in Wuhan China at the end of December 2019. Then, in January 2020, the first patient in Japan was reported. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), a major cause of nondental pain in the orofacial region, include disorders involving the masticatory muscles and/or the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). We investigated the number of patients undergoing TMJ treatment for their first visit, gender ratio, age distribution, and total number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and computed tomography (CT) scans in the two years before and after COVID-19 was changed to a “Class 5 infectious disease."
Comparing the total number of first-time patients with temporomandibular joint disorders, there was an increase of 108.1%, or 815/754, compared to the previous year, and the total number of MRI and CT scans also increased. It is likely that the reclassification of COVID-19 made it easier for patients to visit and commute to hospitals, which contributed to the rise in patient numbers. Furthermore, this increased accessibility allowed hospitals to perform CT and MRI scans for more accurate diagnoses, as patients could attend multiple follow-up appointments. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2026; 60: 43-47)
