engleski

Malocclusions, orthodontic treatment and orofacial pain

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are myoarthropathies of the orofacial region, characterized by orofacial pain and dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The aims of the study were to translate and validate TMD-Pain Screener instrument in Croatia, to assess the what extent to which orofacial pain and TMJ dysfunction are present in patients referred for orthodontic consultation and to identify the predictors of clinically diagnosed temporomandibular disorder and those of its two components (pain disorder and joint disorder). The validation study included 134 participants (students of Universtiy of Rijeka and patients of University Dental Clinic Rijeka, Croatia) aged 11-62 years (median 23, interquartile range 21- 24), 76% females and 82% adults who self- administered TMD-Pain Screener. For the assessment of temporal stability 23 participants completed the questionnaire twice in a two week interval without any interventions ; 14 had painful TMD. The orthodontic sample consisted of 352 consecutive subjects who came for orthodontic consultation at the Department of Orthodontics of the University Dental Clinic in Rijeka in 2018. The age range was five to 52 years, with a median of 12 years (interquartile range 10-15), with 52% female and 9% adult subject. Screening for orofacial pain and TMJ dysfunction was undertaken using a TMD-Pain Screener. Clinical examination and diagnostics were performed according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders protocol. Occlusal characteristics, breathing and swallowing patterns, facial asymmetry, previous orthodontic treatment, self- reported parafunctions and chewing problems, were recorded. The Croatian version of the TMD-Pain Screener has good ability to detect subjects with painful TMD. Orofacial pain and TMJ dysfunction are not frequent in people referred to orthodontists. Malocclusions and previous orthodontic treatment are not predictors of TMD. The TMD-Pain Screener is a strong predictor of clinically confirmed orofacial pain, identifying up to 6.9-times- higher odds, but it is not a significant predictor of TMJ dysfunction.

orofacial pain ; temporomandibular disorders ; occlusion ; malocclusions ; orthodontic treatment

It has been supported by the University of Rijeka grant (uniri-biomed-18-22) and Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka.