Statistical correlation between pharyngitis and temporomandibular joint disease.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the upper respiratory infection (URI) as an aggravating factor in the established temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease.


METHODS
Four hundred seventeen patients suffering from temporomandibular disorder (TMD) were selected and investigated by means of questionnaires and clinical examinations. After excluding the patients with only muscle disorders, 283 patients were included for the association study between TMJ disease and infectious conditions. The screened infectious conditions were otitis media, maxillary sinusitis/rhinitis, and pharyngitis/tonsillitis. The chi-square test was used to determine the association between variables and stepwise logistical regression was then used.


RESULTS
The prevalence of maxillary sinusitis/rhinitis in TMD patients was 7.0%. The patients who had mouth-opening limitation were 9.93 times more likely to have maxillary sinusitis/rhinitis than those without ( P = .0004). The prevalence of tonsillitis/pharyngitis in TMD patients was 9.1%. The patients who had mouth-opening limitation were 3.50 times more likely to have tonsillitis/pharyngitis than those without it ( P = .0028). The patients who had TMJ capsulitis were 3.91 times more likely to have tonsillitis/pharyngitis than those without it ( P = .0028).


CONCLUSIONS
The conclusion is made that pharyngitis/sinusitis is significantly associated with some clinical symptoms of TMD. The infection of closely related anatomical structures with TMJ may have an influence on TMJ symptoms. Thus, pharyngitis/sinusitis in the established TMD patients can be a significant warning sign for TMJ symptoms to appear shortly thereafter.
Jeon
Young-Du
YD
Department of Oral Pathology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Jae-Il
JI
Cho
Byoung-Ouck
BO
Rotaru
Horatiu
H
Kim
Jin-Cheol
JC
Kim
Seong-Gon
SG
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015523:Maxillary Sinusitis / Q000150:complications*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000150:complications*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000150:complications; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000150:complications