Constancy of clinical signs in patients with mandibular dysfunction

Repeated clinical examinations were performed 6 weeks apart on 34 patients with mandibular dysfunction to estimate the consistancy of clinical signs. The clinical examination of the patients included the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the mandibular movement capacity. The clinical dysfunction index (Di) was calculated as a measure of the degree of mandibular dysfunction. The highest agreement between examinations was found for maximal mouth opening and protrusion. The agreement for palpation tenderness of the masticatory muscles and TMJ, limited movement of the TMJ, TMJ sounds, and pain during movement was considerably lower. The lowest agreement within 6 weeks was found for the clinical dysfunction index. No statistically significant difference could be detected between the two examinations for any of the clinical signs, as a result of given information and counseling before the 6-week period. It was concluded that all clinical signs, except maximal mouth opening and maximal protrusion, showed low consistancy.