patients with chronic refractory temporomandibular dysfunction were prescribed home exercise and were followed for 6 months. Pain , mouth opening and Fonseca's were done at day 1 and after 6 months of the study.
Each patient was seen by the rheumatologist who did the following; Full history taking including special habits like chewing gums or biting nails, Pain level measured by visual analogue scale 100 (both at rest and during temporomandibular joint movement) Clinical Examination of the temporomandibular joint including localized tenderness and amount of mouth opening After that the patients were prescribed the rehabilitation program in the form of heat modalities and Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation on the on the temporomandibular joint, given an individual demonstration of the home based exercises and were given a reminding handout. The rehabilitation program consisted of the following exercises: lateral deviation, protrusion/retraction and mandibular opening. Isometric cervical muscle strengthening exercises were also prescribed for the patients. Assessment of the severity of temporomandibular joint affection using the Fonseca's questionnaire were done twice; the first at the entry point to the study and once again after 6 months.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
20
stretching exercises - physiotherapy modalities - self care instructions
Assiut University
Asyut, Egypt
visual analogue scale for pain during rest and on moving the jaw
visual analogue scale 0-100 with higher score indicating more pain.
Time frame: 6 months
mouth opening
Distance between the edges of central incisors was measured. Measures are compared pre and post exercises.
Time frame: 6 months
Fonseca's scale.
It is composed of 10 questions, which include checking for the presence of pain in temporomandibular joint, head, back, and while chewing, parafunctional habits, movement limitations, joint clicking, perception of malocclusion, and sensation of emotional stress. The volunteers were informed that the 10 questions should be answered with "yes", "no" and "sometimes" and that only one answer should be marked for each question. Scoring ranges between 0-50 with higher score indicating worse results.
Time frame: 6 months
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