Vj. Miller et al., THE EFFECT OF PARAFUNCTION ON CONDYLAR ASYMMETRY IN PATIENTS WITH TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS, Journal of oral rehabilitation, 25(9), 1998, pp. 721-724
This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between condylar
asymmetry and parafunction in patients with temporomandibular disorde
rs (TMD). Twenty-eight patients with TMD and parafunction and 30 patie
nts with TMD hut no parafunction were examined. A panoramic radiograph
was obtained for each patient and from this the condylar asymmetry de
termined. The group with parafunction showed a significantly (P < 0.00
5) higher asymmetry index than did the group with no noticeable parafu
nction. Patients were grouped into the following age ranges: 10-19 yea
rs, 20-29 years, 30-39 years, and 40 + years. The mean asymmetry index
was determined for each age range for both groups of patients. The gr
oup of patients with TMD and parafunction had a higher mean asymmetry
index in all the age ranges studied. This suggests that muscle hyperac
tivity may be a factor in the increased asymmetry found in patients wi
th TMD.