Electronic thermography for the assessment of mild and moderate temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Today facial heat emission patterns may be rapidly obtained and quantified with the use of advanced electronic thermography units that have the promise of being a nonionizing, noninvasive, low-cost diagnostic alternative for the evaluation of temporomandibular joint disorders. This study design measured the use of electronic thermography as a tool to select between asymptomatic (control) subjects and a patient group with mild to moderate temporomandibular joint disorders. Study populations consisted of 24 asymptomatic (control) subjects and 20 patients with (1) either locked or unlocked temporomandibular joints, (2) varying degrees of limitation of mouth opening, (3) mild to moderate muscle pain, and (4) mild to moderate temporomandibular joint arthralgia. The results indicated that the control group demonstrated a high level of thermal symmetry over the temporomandibular joint region. The patient group demonstrated a low level of thermal symmetry with a delta T value of 0.4 degrees C. The control group was selected from the patient group with 85% sensitivity (17 of 20), and 92% specificity (22 of 24), and 89% overall accuracy (39 of 44), when selecting among the 44 subjects used in this study. The conclusion therefore is that electronic thermography shows promise as a method of diagnosing mild to moderate temporomandibular joint disorders.

[1]  B M Gratt,et al.  Thermographic characterization of internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint. , 1994, Journal of orofacial pain.

[2]  B M Gratt,et al.  Thermographic characterization of osteoarthrosis of the temporomandibular joint. , 1993, Journal of orofacial pain.

[3]  M. Pogrel,et al.  Liquid crystal thermography as a diagnostic aid and objective monitor for TMJ dysfunction and myogenic facial pain. , 1989, Journal of craniomandibular disorders : facial & oral pain.

[4]  S. Åkerman.  Morphologic, radiologic and thermometric assessment of degenerative and inflammatory temporomandibular joint disease. An autopsy and clinical study. , 1987, Swedish dental journal. Supplement.

[5]  B M Gratt,et al.  Traumatic dysesthesia of the trigeminal nerve. , 1994, Journal of orofacial pain.

[6]  C. Poser.  Pain and the Neurosurgeon: A 40-Year Experience. , 1972 .

[7]  B. Appelgren,et al.  Relation between intra-articular temperature of the arthritic temporomandibular joint and presence of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the joint fluid. A clinical study. , 1993, Acta odontologica Scandinavica.

[8]  Å. Tegelberg,et al.  Skin surface temperature over the temporomandibular and metacarpophalangeal joints in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. , 1987, Acta odontologica Scandinavica.

[9]  E. L. Weinstein,et al.  Facial thermography, basis, protocol, and clinical value. , 1991, Cranio : the journal of craniomandibular practice.

[10]  The utilization of contact liquid crystal thermography in the evaluation of temporomandibular dysfunction. , 1991, Cranio : the journal of craniomandibular practice.

[11]  B M Gratt,et al.  Future applications of electronic thermography. , 1991, Journal of the American Dental Association.

[12]  S. Kopp,et al.  Intra-articular and skin surface temperature of the temporomandibular joint in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. , 1988, Acta odontologica Scandinavica.

[13]  B. Appelgren,et al.  A clinical study: Relation between the intra-articular temperature of the temporomandibular joint and the presence of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity in the joint fluid , 1993 .

[14]  E. Sickles,et al.  Electronic thermography in the diagnosis of atypical odontalgia: a pilot study. , 1989, Oral surgery, oral medicine, and oral pathology.

[15]  C. E. Crandell,et al.  Thermography in dentistry: a pilot study. , 1966, Oral surgery, oral medicine, and oral pathology.

[16]  S Kopp,et al.  Reproducibility and variation of skin surface temperature over the temporomandibular joint and masseter muscle in normal individuals. , 1985, Acta odontologica Scandinavica.

[17]  J. Levine,et al.  Neurogenic and non-neurogenic mechanisms of plasma extravasation in the rat , 1993, Neuroscience.

[18]  B M Gratt,et al.  Thermographic assessment of craniomandibular disorders: diagnostic interpretation versus temperature measurement analysis. , 1994, Journal of orofacial pain.

[19]  Andrew Cullen,et al.  Electronic information services : An emerging market opportunity? , 1986 .

[20]  B M Gratt,et al.  Thermographic characterization of the asymptomatic temporomandibular joint. , 1993, Journal of orofacial pain.

[21]  S. Uematsu.  Thermographic imaging of cutaneous sensory segment in patients with peripheral nerve injury. Skin-temperature stability between sides of the body. , 1985, Journal of neurosurgery.

[22]  E. Ring,et al.  Recent Advances in Medical Thermology , 1984 .