Patients referred for stomatognathic treatment--a survey of 282 patients

The signs and symptoms of mandibular dysfunction and the treatment results were studied in 282 patients referred to the Clinic of Stomatognathic Physiology, Luleå, Sweden. Seventy two per cent of the patients were women. The most common clinical finding was muscles tender to palpation, which was found in 60% of the patients, but other signs such as TMJ-clickings (27%) and limited mandibular movement (16%) were common, as were interferences in the retruded position (33%) and on the non-working side (19%). Splint therapy, therapeutic exercises for the lower jaw and occlusal adjustment in combination with counselling were by far the most common modes of therapy. More than half of the patients had completed the course of treatment within four visits and only a few patients needed more than ten visits. Eighty one per cent of the patients reported no or only mild symptoms after treatment but in a few cases fairly severe or very severe symptoms persisted. The investigation shows that most patients referred because of mandibular dysfunction can be cured or improved with relatively simple treatment methods and after a few visits. In some cases, however, the patients need more complex and time-consuming treatment.