A follow-up study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients who received acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy 18-20 years earlier.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the presence of symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in patients referred to a specialist clinic because of muscular problems 18-20 years earlier and who had received mainly acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy.


METHODS
Sixty-five subjects who had received therapy at a TMD specialist clinic 18-20 years earlier were mailed a questionnaire with questions about TMD symptoms, their attitude towards the therapy, and their opinion about the outcome. Fifty-five subjects (85%) answered and returned the questionnaire.


RESULTS
Before therapy, 87% had had severe TMD symptoms, but this figure decreased to 38% at the long-term follow-up. The mean values of the subjects' complaints at worst and at best before treatment, measured with a visual analog scale, were 66 (range 26-100) and 31 (range 0-100), respectively. The corresponding figures at the long-term follow-up were 32 (range 0-96) and 16 (range 0-70). Headache at least once a week was originally reported by 73% of the women and by 77% of the men. Headache prevalence 18-20 years later was 35% in women and 54% in men. The majority of patients were positive about the therapy they had received, and would recommend it to a friend with similar complaints.


CONCLUSIONS
A majority of the patients reported a lasting improvement in their symptoms. Patients' overall opinions of the therapy received were positive.
Bergström
Ingalill
I
Department of Stomatognathic Physiology, Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education, Jönköping, Sweden.
List
Thomas
T
Magnusson
Tomas
T
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017090:Occlusal Splints; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012647:Self-Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*