MULTIDIMENSIONAL EVALUATION OF CRANIOMANDIBULAR DYSFUNCTION .2. PAIN ASSESSMENT

To standardize clinical history taking, a comprehensive anamnestic que stionnaire was developed (Screen). Screen includes questions about: (i ) pain, (ii) other symptoms of craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD), (ii i) correlates of CMD, (iv) pychosocial factors, and (v) general health . The current study focuses on variables in Screen concerning pain rep orted somewhere in the head, neck and/or shoulders. This study was per formed to assess whether subgroups of patients with signs and symptoms of CMD and a control group of dental patients with and without signs and symptoms of CMD can be characterized by differences in areas repor ted to be painful, in quantitative and qualitative characteristics of pain, and in factors exacerbating pain. Results indicate that several characteristics of pain as measured in Screen can be used to discrimin ate between: (i) subgroups of subjects with signs and/or symptoms of C MD and controls without signs or symptoms of CMD, (ii) subgroups of cl inical cases and controls with signs or symptoms of CMD, and (iii) pat ients with CMD with mainly a myogenous component and patients with CMD with mainly an arthrogenous component. The results of logistic regres sion analysis indicate that four adverbs describing pain correctly cla ssified 75% of patients with CMD-myo and patients with CMD-arthro. Dif ferences between patients and controls are interpreted with regard to the correct classification of patients with CMD with a mainly myogenou s component and patients with CMD with a mainly arthrogenous component and the subjective treatment need for CMD. Implications for further r esearch are discussed.