title: Women with more severe degrees of temporomandibular disorder exhibit an increase in temperature over the temporomandibular joint.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to correlate the degree of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) severity and skin temperatures over the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and masseter and anterior temporalis muscles.
  
  
  METHODS
  This blind cross-sectional study involved 60 women aged 18-40 years. The volunteers were allocated to groups based on Fonseca anamnestic index (FAI) score: no TMD, mild TMD, moderate TMD, and severe TMD (n = 15 each). All volunteers underwent infrared thermography for the determination of skin temperatures over the TMJ, masseter and anterior temporalis muscles. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data. The Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn's test, was used for comparisons among groups according to TMD severity. Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the strength of associations among variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weak, positive, significant associations were found between FAI score and skin temperatures over the left TMJ (rs = 0.195, p = 0.009) and right TMJ (rs = 0.238, p = 0.001). Temperatures over the right and left TMJ were significantly higher in groups with more severe TMD (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FAI score was associated with skin temperature over the TMJ, as determined by infrared thermography, in this sample. Women with more severe TMD demonstrated a bilateral increase in skin temperature.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Almir Vieira
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Dibai-Filho
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Physiotherapy, Methodist University of Piracicaba, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Cláudia de Souza
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Physiotherapy, Methodist University of Piracicaba, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amanda Carine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Packer
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences School, Methodist University of Piracicaba, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ester Moreira
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Physiotherapy, Methodist University of Piracicaba, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Delaine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rodrigues-Bigaton
keywords: Skeletal muscle; Skin temperature; Temporomandibular joint disorders; Thermography