TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS, HEADACHES, AND NECK PAIN AFTER MOTOR-VEHICLE ACCIDENTS - A PILOT INVESTIGATION OF PERSISTENCE AND LITIGATION EFFECTS

Statement of problem. There is a lack of long-term follow-up studies t hat involve post-motor vehicle accident temporomandibular disorders an d compensation. Purpose of study. The purposes of this retrospective p ilot study were (1) to assess patients who had previously been treated for temporomandibular disorders after motor vehicle accidents to dete rmine the nature of their symptoms in terms of jaw, head, and neck pai n and jaw dysfunction and (2) to determine whether there was a differe nce in the pain and dysfunction between those who had settled and thos e who had not settled their insurance claims. Material and methods. Th irty previously treated patients with temporomandibular disorders afte r motor vehicle accidents were questioned by telephone regarding litig ation status and current jaw head, and neck pain and jaw dysfunction s ymptoms. They did not differ substantially from a smaller group who we re not able to be interviewed. Descriptive statistics were calculated and statistical tests were performed. A total of 22 patients had their claims settled. Results. Approximately three fourths had persistent c omplaints of jaw pain, jaw dysfunction, and headache, and more than 80 % reported persistent neck pain. No apparent differences were found be tween these who had and had not settled their insurance claims. Conclu sion. Jaw, head and neck pain, and jaw dysfunction continued to be pro blems for the majority of this patient population, regardless of litig ation status in this retrospective study.