A Young Patient with Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis: Case Report

Abstract

This paper describes a case of a young patient who sought help because of pain in the right temporomandibular joint (TMJ). She also reported increasing of pain during chewing. Clinical examination revealed limited mouth opening with uncorrected deviation to the ipsilateral side. Palpation of the lateral pole of the right condyle discovered crepitus, and maximum assisted opening elicited a report of "familiar pain". The diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the TMJ (RDC / TMD criteria, Axis I, Group III) was confirmed by CBCT of TMJ. There is no "gold standard" for the management of TMD, but the need for TMD treatment has to be based on precise indications related to the presence of pain, limitation in function of the lower jaw and signs of degenerative joint disease. Conservative, reversible therapeutic procedures are considered as the first choice for TMD treatment and their task is to improve the function of the entire masticatory system. In this case patient was treated with the combination of physical therapy and stabilization splint, in order to reduce the pain and restore the normal function of the lower jaw. At 6 months’ follow-up symptoms have almost completely disappeared, while 3 years later, the patient still has no significant subjective symptoms. In the present case non-invasive therapy was sufficient to bring, otherwise recurrent nature of osteoarthritis, in complete remission and keep it like that for years.

Incidental findings of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis and its variability based on age and sex

“…The most notable challenge in assessing the prevalence of TMJ-OA is the widely recognized disparity between objective diagnosis based on imaging evidence and subjective findings in the form of patient reports of pain or disability. 7,14,15 However, objective diagnoses (such as those made using imaging modalities) provide more reproducible results and facilitate more accurate comparative studies than subjective findings. 15 Although several studies have provided evidence regarding the prevalence of OA of the knee or other joints, very little is known about the prevalence of TMJ-OA.…”

Management of non-reducing disc derangement in a young patient using progressive muscle relaxation technique

“…1 The degenerative changes in the TMJ are due to the inability of the TMJ to withstand the dynamic forces with the help of flexibility of its specific structure, tissue repair and functional remodeling. 2 The development of revised RDC/TMD Axis I, II diagnostic algorithms were subsequently demonstrated to be valid for the most common temporomandibular joint disorders. The RDC/TMD are based on a biobehavioral model of pain, including two main axes: physical signs and symptoms (axis I) and psychological and disability factors (axis II).…”

Nonsurgical management of temporomandibular joint autoimmune disorders

“…Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) has a particular performance. The chronological changes in TMJ are important issues in surgery and radiology [1],[2]. Due to limited knowledge regarding the anatomy, function, and physiological changes of TMJ, numerous diagnostic errors have been observed for temporomandibular diseases (TMDs) [3].…”