Sounds produced by the mandibular joint in a sample of healthy workers.
A sample of 6718 healthy persons were asked, during an examination in connection with getting a job, whether they had noticed sounds emanating from their temporomandibular joints. A total of 20.1% of the job applicants reported hearing joint sounds. Crepitation or clicking was found in more than 12.2% of the sample on palpation. Auscultatory examination revealed sounds in almost 72.5% of the individuals. When examined with a phonocardiograph, 84% of a randomly selected subgroup demonstrated joint sounds. Considering the frequency with which this symptom occurred in healthy individuals, caution must be exercised in interpreting joint sounds as definite proof of arthropathy.
Pöllmann
L
L
Institute for Work Physiology and Rehabilitation Research, University of Marburg, Germany.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001314:Auscultation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013016:Sound; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*