A Study of the Chewing Patterns in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders by Electrognathography

Electrognathography를 이용한 측두하악장애환자의 저작양태에 관한 연구

Mandibular movement is composed of border movement and functional movement. Border movement such as maximal mouth opening, hinge opening ad lateral eccentric movement has good reproducibility, but functional movement such as chewing, swallowing and speech has also reproducibility. Especially for chewing movement, individual reproducibility has been confirmed by many studies. Study of chewing pattern is still in controversy. In new approach for raising the diagnostic value, numeric parameters and morphologic characteristics could be used for evaluation of chewing pattern. This study was performed to investigate the differences between chewing pattern in controls and in patients with temporomandibular disorders. Sixty-three patients with temporomandibular disorders participated in this study, and they were divided into unilaterally affected subjects or bilaterally affected subjects. Then unilaterally affected subjects were classified into closed lock group, disk displacement with reduction group, and degenerative joint disease group. For recording of chewing pattern, subjects were asked to chew one piece of presoftened chewing gum on both sides, and the chewing movement was recorded with the Electrognatho- Graphy(Bio-Research Associates Inc., U.S.A.). Tooth contact pattern for occlusal stability (Total left-right statistics )was also recorded with T-Scan(Tekscan Co., U.S.A.). The dta related to chewing pattern and total left-right statistics were statistically analyzed by SAS/stat program. The obtained results were as follows : 1. In patient group, mean value of A-P distance and the ratio of A-P distance to vertical distance were larger than control group, but the value of lateral distance in affected side and the closing velocity in unaffected side were smaller than that of control group, respectively. 2. In case of unilateral affected patients, chewing pattern of other side had tendency to restricted movement and slow velocity in closed lock group or degenerative joint disease group than control group or disk displacement with reduction group. 3. In bilateral degenerative joint disease patients, contralateral side had tendency to large range of motion and slow chewing velocity than preferred chewing side. 4. The patients with restricted mouth opening below than 35mm had higher value of total left-right statistics than patient group mouth opening above 35mm. Also closed lock group had higher total left-right statistics than disk displacement with reduction group, degenerative joint disease group and control group. 5. There was some difference in morphologic characteristics of chewing pattern between in control group and in affected side of unilateral patient group, but no difference between control group and unaffected side of unilateral patient group. 6. There were positive correlations between vertical distance and A-P distance, between vertical distance and chewing velocity, between A-P distance and chewing velocity, and between opening velocity and closing velocity in unilateral affected patients.