Sick-leave in patients with functional disturbances of the masticatory system

The number of days and periods of sick-leave in 350 consecutive patients were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service for the year of referral to a TMJ clinic and the following 4 years. As sick-leave varied greatly in the whole group, a subgroup of 157 patients with full sickness benefit was studied more closely. The mean number of days of sick-leave was correlated to the degree of mandibular dysfunction and decreased during the year after referral and the start of stomatognathic treatment. The reduction was greater in those with severer clinical dysfunction of the masticatory system at the first examination. The results indicate that there is an association between functional disturbances of the masticatory system and sick-leave. Stomatognathic treatment may therefore be of greater relative importance in the general health care system than is usually assumed.