Data collected on 406 patients of both sexes, aged between 9 and 78 (mean age 30.47) and suffering from algias and craniomandibular disorders, have been examined, in order to show the more frequent clinical variables and to improve the knowledge of the stomatognatic dysfunction, by characterizing diagnostic subgroups. The observed prevalence of the female sex and young adults is in agreement with the literature. Older subjects seem to accept more easily dysfunctional problems; the developmental age needs an active prevention. The data were similar to those of the previous researches, demonstrating that the trend of this disease is constant, during the last 15 years. The most frequent sign and symptoms were: joint noise, muscles tenderness, mandibular hypomobility, cephalalgia, earache. The classified, variously imbricated, pathologies were the muscular disorders (40.1%), the internal derangement (disk dislocations), (35.8%) and the inflammatory and degenerative (morpho-structural) changes (19.6%). The multifactorial aetiology was confirmed by investigating the main pathogenetic factors, which resulted: bruxism (35.9%), loss of vertical dimension (34.7%), postural problems (33%), mandibular entrapment (26.6%), facial asimmetry (26.1%).

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical aspects of cranio-mandibular disorders. II. Symptom profiles of subgroups].

The more frequent clinical variables of cranio-mandibular disorders in a sample of 406 patients of both sexes, aged between 9 and 78 (mean age 30.47), were used to classify the different pathologies of the stomatognatic dysfunction. Radiological imaging completed and improved the diagnostic assessment. The breakdown of the total patient population into diagnostic subgroups was: functional disorders, with a mainly myogenous component (19.7%); disk displacement with reduction (24.1%); disk displacement without reduction (11.7%); osteoarthrosis (10.8%); synovitis of various origin (8.8%); growth disorders (0.9%). A mixed group consisted of many patients displaying signs of internal derangement and contemporary pronounced muscular disorders (20.4%); finally some subjects did not show true disturbances of the masticatory system (3.6%). Considerable differences were found among the subgroups and the findings formed the basis of specific symptom profiles, that mainly considered the chief complaints as masticatory algia, earache, cephalalgia, migraine and neck and shoulders postural disturbances. The prevalence of specific pathogenetic factors confirmed the multifactorial aetiology and the need of a more directed choice of treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical aspects of cranio-mandibular disorders. III. Principles of elective therapy].

The therapeutic approaches on 406 patients of both sexes, agent between 9 and 78 (mean age 30.47) and suffering from cranio-mandibular disorders, have been analyzed, in order to evaluate the more frequent measures of treatment and to improve the management of pain and dysfunction of the stomatognathic system. Having confirmed the multifactorial aetiology, an individual treatment plan was worked out. Of the initial therapies, active gymnastics (63.58%), bland aspecific drugs (21.02%), assisted relaxation practices (7.17%) were of particular importance. As occlusion measures, stabilisation splint (44.61%) had precise instruction for use; in case of mandibular dislocation, a repositioning splint was constructed in articulator, in order to achieve a new therapeutic position (30.51%); sometimes, only a vertical dimension increase of previous prosthesis was made (14.35%). The specific symptom profiles of the diagnostic subgroups in which the sample was subdivided induced to adopt considerably different procedures, due to the basic pathology. The final therapy considered above all prosthetic (35.64%) and orthodontic (25.12%) rehabilitations, whether structural changes were necessary; moreover occlusal adjustment (5.64%); only few cases (2.05%) required a surgical consultation. A deliberate choice of conservative approach was evident in a remarkable number of patients (26.15%), treated in an absolutely reversible way.

Adolescent↗