Correlation of Prevalence and Symptom Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders Among Healthy Individuals and Patients with Newly Diagnosed Rheumatic Diseases

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of temporomandibular disorders in patients with rheumatic diseases at the initial stage of diagnosis, prior to any medication and to compare their findings with those of healthy individuals. Design: The study included 92 patients with rheumatic diseases and 94 healthy dental patients. Clinical examinations were performed and anamnestic and clinical dysfunction indices were recorded. Chi-square and t-tests were used to compare characteristics between the control and experimental groups (p < 0.05). Results: The findings revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups in both subjective and objective measures of temporomandibular disorders. In the rheumatic group, 63% of patients reported subjective symptoms, while 93.5% exhibited clinical dysfunction. There were no significant differences in clicking or deviation between the groups. However, movement limitation was significantly higher in the experimental group (71.8%). No significant difference was observed between rheumatic patients and healthy controls regarding muscular pain, temporomandibular joint pain or pain during movement. Conclusion: In conclusion, severe clinical dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint is twice as common in rheumatic patients compared with healthy individuals. A significantly higher limitation of movement was observed in newly diagnosed rheumatic patients, who are not undergoing any therapeutic intervention.