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COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EVALUATION OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT AND NECK STRUCTURES IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS AND IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS PATIENTS

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) and neck structure changes in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) by clinical examination. Material and Methods: The study included 51 patients affected by IS (24 males, 27 females; mean age: 13.5 ± 2.1 years) selected using simple random sampling, and a healthy control group of 50 subjects (23 males, 27 females; mean age: 14.5 ± 2.3 years). The Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders: Clinical Protocol and Assessment Instruments (DC/TMD) form was utilized to assess the signs and symptoms of TMD in the subjects. For the evaluation of neck structures, masseter and temporalis muscles, pressure pain threshold (PPT) values were measured with a hand-held pressure algometer. Obtained data were analyzed statistically applying Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon, and chi-squared tests with a significance level of 0.05. Results: According to the DC/TMD form, the following parameters showed statistically significant differences between the groups (p 0.001): presence of TMD, temporal headache, midline deviation, and right and left lateral movements. The PPT values were higher in the control group compared with the study group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the type of pain-related TMD identified in the subjects was myalgia. The myalgia was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the study group (68.6%) than in the control group (22%). Conclusion: This study concluded that spinal diseases which cause postural changes, like IS, in the head and shoulder region are associated with muscle adaptation and alterations in the temporomandibular joint area.