Abstract
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are characterized by various symptoms and affect many age groups. TMDs in children are particularly difficult to diagnose and the planning of their treatment is complicated. A new medical care protocol model for pediatric TMDs, the critical path Ohno-Shigeta-Oku model (OSO), was developed by the Ohno Pediatric and Orthodontic Dental Clinic-a medical corporation in Shimonoseki City, Japan-in collaboration with the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Kagoshima University. The purposes of this study were to survey features of TMDs in children, and to evaluate the validity of OSO. Forty-five TMD patients aged 14.6 ± 2.6 years (8 boys aged 15.5 ± 2.6 years, and 37 girls aged 14.4 ± 2.6 years) from the Ohno Pediatric and Orthodontic Dental Clinic were enrolled in the study between April 2003 and March 2008. OSO was applied to them, and the following results were obtained.1.OSO is effective as a medical care protocol model for determining the need for orthodontic treatment and for determining the effects of TMD treatment in children.2.The chief complaint in TMD patients was malocclusion (15 of 45 patients, 33.3%).3.The most important factor of TMDs was malocclusion (32, 84.2%) ; the second was the social and mental factor (27, 71.1%).The results indicate that OSO is an appropriate medical care protocol model. They also suggest that there is a requirement for professional medical care for TMDs in children in the sound growth and development of oral and maxillofacial units.
