TMJ Dysfunctions Systemic Implications and Postural Assessments: A Review of Recent Literature (2019) Samataro et al.

[Sly Saint]

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Temperomandibular Jaw Dysfunction

TMJ Dysfunctions Systemic Implications and Postural Assessments: A Review of Recent Literature
Aug 2019

Abstract
:
Cases of correlations between posture and the temporomandibular joint have long been reported in the literature. In particular, occlusal anomalies, and therefore malocclusion, could have negative implications for the spine. The objective of this study was to review the literature and bring to light any correlations between temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and posturology.

The literature search was conducted in the PubMed and Embase scientific search engines with the aim of obtaining the most possible results in the initial search, the number of results initially obtained was 263. Subsequently, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were reduced first to 83 and subsequently to manual analysis of the articles, those included remained only 11.

The results show a correlation between anomalies of the TMJ and dysfunctions of the vertebral column. Not all the articles considered are in agreement with each other regarding epidemiological data, but surely this study can represent an important starting point for a much more careful evaluation of the dental patient and at the same time for the request for counseling by a dentist in case of postural abnormalities.

...migraine and chronic fatigue syndrome increases TMJ pain and worsens the symptoms of TMD, but even psychological conditions, such as anxiety and depression have an important role on this issue and increase the patient's perception of pain and muscle fatigue. Gazit et al. [32] showed that the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome carries a high potential for disability due to frequent dislocation and subluxations and chronic pain of joints.

full paper here
https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/4/3/58/htm

 

[Sly Saint]

The horrors of TMJ: Chronic pain, metal jaws, and futile treatments

A TMJ patient in Maine had six surgeries to replace part or all of the joints of her jaw.

Another woman in California, desperate for relief, used a screwdriver to lengthen her jawbone daily, turning screws that protruded from her neck.

A third in New York had bone from her rib and fat from her belly grafted into her jaw joint, and twice a prosthetic eyeball was surgically inserted into the joint as a placeholder in the months it took to make metal hinges to implant into her jaw.

These are some of the horrors of temporomandibular joint disorders, known as TMJ or TMD, which afflict up to 33 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dentists have attempted to heal TMJ patients for close to a century, and yet the disorders remain misunderstood, under-researched, and ineffectively treated, according to an investigation by KFF Health News and CBS News.

Dental care for TMJ can do patients more harm than good, and a few fall into a spiral of futile surgeries that may culminate in their jaw joints being replaced with metal hinges, according to medical and dental experts, patients, and their advocates speaking in interviews and video testimony submitted to the FDA.

TMJ disorders cause pain and stiffness in the jaw and face that can range from discomfort to disabling, with severe symptoms far more common in women. Dentists have commonly treated the disorder with splints and orthodontics. And yet these treatments are based on "strongly held beliefs" and "inadequate research" — not compelling scientific evidence nor consistent results — according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which reviewed decades of research on the topic.

The horrors of TMJ: Chronic pain, metal jaws, and futile treatments (msn.com)

 

[Ash]