A vibration produced when a displaced temporomandibular disc reduces during opening can transfer some of its energy from the ipsilateral joint to the contralateral joint. The objective of this study was to measure what percentage of the ipsilateral vibration is transferred to the contralateral joint. The study included the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) vibrations of 144 (informed consent) subjects, (113 F, 31 M), with reducing displaced discs (DDR). Vibrations from 165 joints were recorded bilaterally with BioJVA (BioResearch Associates, Inc. Milwaukee, WI). In each case, any contralateral vibration was analyzed to verify that it was caused by the ipsilateral joint. The contralateral amplitude was divided by the ipsilateral amplitude and multiplied by 100 to produce a percentage of transfer. The percentage values (0-100%) were used to create a Relative Frequency Histogram with 20 classes (1-5%, 6-10%, 11-15%, etc.). The Relative Frequency Histogram graph revealed a three-mounded distribution of the percentage of transfer. One mound fell between 5 and 34 percent, one between 35 and 69 percent and the third between 70 and 98 percent. The appearance of a three-mounded distribution suggests that there may be three different failure modes leading to TMJ intemal derangements. Alternatively, it may be that failure of the disc's stabilizing ligaments leads to three different internal derangement conditions that are in some way distinct. The evidence of apparent tri-modality in this vibration data distribution suggests that there may be three different failure modes of disc displacement with reduction (e.g., anterior, anteromedial, and medio-lateral disc displacement). If so, identifying them could allow for a more detailed description of DDR. Therefore, further investigation of this 'tri-modal' distribution should be undertaken.
This group of dysfunctional subjects exhibited significantly slower, smaller, and more variable chewing patterns than the control group. The functional pattern of mastication appears to be significantly altered in the presence of an internal derangement of the TMJ.
The ID group exhibited reduced amplitude and velocity but increased variability during chewing. The null hypothesis was rejected. Further study of adaptation to ID by patients should be pursued.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.