[Clinical aspects of cranio-mandibular disorders. II. Symptom profiles of subgroups]

The more frequent clinical variables of cranio-mandibular disorders in a sample of 406 patients of both sexes, aged between 9 and 78 (mean age 30.47), were used to classify the different pathologies of the stomatognatic dysfunction. Radiological imaging completed and improved the diagnostic assessment. The breakdown of the total patient population into diagnostic subgroups was: functional disorders, with a mainly myogenous component (19.7%); disk displacement with reduction (24.1%); disk displacement without reduction (11.7%); osteoarthrosis (10.8%); synovitis of various origin (8.8%); growth disorders (0.9%). A mixed group consisted of many patients displaying signs of internal derangement and contemporary pronounced muscular disorders (20.4%); finally some subjects did not show true disturbances of the masticatory system (3.6%). Considerable differences were found among the subgroups and the findings formed the basis of specific symptom profiles, that mainly considered the chief complaints as masticatory algia, earache, cephalalgia, migraine and neck and shoulders postural disturbances. The prevalence of specific pathogenetic factors confirmed the multifactorial aetiology and the need of a more directed choice of treatment.