TMD in relation to malocclusion and orthodontic treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this systematic literature review was to evaluate associations between different malocclusions, orthodontic treatment, and signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD).


METHODS
This review was part of a project at the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care focusing on malocclusion and orthodontic treatment from a health perspective. As a first step, the literature was searched in the Medline and Cochrane Library databases from 1966 to May 2003. A later update was made in January 2005. Human studies in English or in Scandinavian languages were included.


RESULTS
Associations between certain malocclusions and TMD were found in some studies, whereas the majority of the reviewed articles failed to identify significant and clinically important associations. TMD could not be correlated to any specific type of malocclusion, and there was no support for the belief that orthodontic treatment may cause TMD. Obvious individual variations in signs and symptoms of TMD over time according to some longitudinal studies further emphasized the difficulty in establishing malocclusion as a significant risk factor for TMD. A considerable reduction in signs and symptoms of TMD between the teenage period and young adulthood has been shown in some recent longitudinal studies.


CONCLUSIONS
Associations between specific types of malocclusions and development of significant signs and symptoms of TMD could not be verified. There is still a need for longitudinal studies.
Mohlin
Bengt
B
Department of Orthodontics, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Faculty of Odontology, Göteborg, Sweden. mohlin@odontologi.gu.se
Axelsson
Susanna
S
Paulin
Gunnar
G
Pietilä
Terttu
T
Bondemark
Lars
L
Brattström
Viveca
V
Hansen
Ken
K
Holm
Anna-Karin
AK
D006801:Humans; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000209:etiology*