The prevalence of trigeminal neuritis with TMD

Subjects with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) occasionally present with additional orofacial pain complaints. These can arise from dysfunction in teeth, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and other structures. In this retrospective study, a group of 501 consecutive subjects with TMD complaints were evaluated for the presence of trigeminal neuritis. Very little information on the prevalence of this condition concomitant with TMDs exists in the literature. The existence of trigeminal neuritis was determined by the presence of pain when palpating trigeminal peripheral nerve branches exiting the supraorbital, infraorbital, and mental foramina in addition to the supratrochlear nerve. Each subject in this study had the involved nerves blocked with local anesthesia injections or lidocaine iontophoresis to assist in confirming the source of pain. Sixty subjects with TMD were found to have trigeminal neuritis. Early recognition of this disorder is important because treatment is usually more successful in the acute peripheral state.