Effectiveness of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Follow-Up Using Bone Scans

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder follow-up and determine the factors that affect the TMJ bone scan hot spot numerical value (bone scan value), and to compare this value to the diagnosis of patients with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), their treatment options, and the resolution of their symptoms. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 24 patients (four males, 20 females) who received TMD treatment in the Section of Dentistry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (Seongnam, Korea) from 2007 to 2014. An analysis of the significance test and correlation between TMD diagnosis, treatment options, a baseline the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) questionnaire, treatment before and after the clinical examination and subjective progress, and TMJ bone scan value change were completed by using SPSS version 12.0. Result: Although only 14 patients had bony factors that caused TMD, the average pre-treatment bone scan value of the all patients was 4.29±0.31, which is higher than the finding for osteoarthritis (3.88), and reduced post-treatment bone scan value was found to be without a statistically significant difference (P=0.056). After the treatments, clinical symptoms in 18 patients disappeared, and six patients did not require additional treatment, although they still displayed subjective symptoms. It was observed that the higher the pre-treatment bone scan value, nonspecific physical symptoms, chronic pain index, characteristic pain intensity, disability score, were, the lower the posttreatment bone scan value was. And this reduced post-treatment bone scan value tendency was not shown with the pre-treatment depression index, but there was not a statistical difference. Conclusion: The post-treatment TMJ bone scan value tended to be insignificantly reduced in the 24 patients whose clinical symptoms were improved (P=0.056). Moreover, the TMJ bone scan value showed no relation to the TMD type or its related symptoms.