Osteoarthritis of the jaw joint: treatment and diagnosis

This joint is a two-story .Movement in it is possible in three variations: extension of the lower jaw forward, lowering of the lower jaw and displacement of it in the side. When arthrosis of this joint articular surfaces are thinned and when moving in it may appear soreness and restriction of movement.

Prevalence and epidemiology

According to statistics, one person in three suffers from diseases of the osteoarticular system. In the modern world, the urgency of this problem grows from year to year. Due to poor ecology, malnutrition, sedentary lifestyle and unwillingness to go to see a doctor at the first signs of illness, there is an increase in the occurrence of this disease. At the moment in people over 50 years old this disease occurs in 50% of cases. In people over 70 years of age, it occurs in more than 90% of cases. Therefore, the urgency of this problem is very significant.

Diagnosis of the temporo-maxillofacial joint

Risk factors for arthrosis of the jaw joint:

• is more than 50 years old and the menopause period in women, when the production of female sex hormones involved in the metabolism of bone-cartilaginous tissue is decreasing;
• trauma and surgery in the temporomandibular joints in the anamnesis;
• patients with malocclusion and other violations of the maxillofacial proportions;
• no teeth;
• long-term inflammatory processes in the joint;
• osteoarthritis of other joints in anamnesis;
• genetic burden - that is, the risk of developing temporomandibular joint arthrosis is increased if any relatives had this disease.

Clinical symptoms of arthrosis of the jaw joint:

• tenderness in the joint, especially during physical exertion;
• tenderness when chewing food on one side of the mouth;
• , when looking at the face, one can detect its asymmetry;
• snapping and crunching in the joint when moving;
• decrease in the amplitude of active and passive movements, restriction of opening of the mouth;
• joint stiffness in the morning after waking up;
• possible hearing loss( due to the anatomical proximity of the temporomandibular joint and elements of the hearing organ);
• at palpation( probing) of a joint it is possible to reveal a crunch and click, and also a pain at movement in a joint;
• at palpation of the masticatory muscles, it is possible to determine their compaction and soreness, as well as the irradiation( spread) of pain - in the ear, eye, jaw.

Instrumental diagnostic methods:

• radiography;
• computed tomography;
• contrast radiography( when a special X-ray contrast medium is injected into the joint).

Treatment of arthrosis of the jaw joint

Treatment of any arthrosis is always complex. It should include:

1. adherence to a certain regime, it is possible to change habits and lifestyle;
2. compliance with the diet;
3. taking medications;
4. carrying out physiotherapy, orthopedic and surgical correction according to indications.

Mode .It is necessary to observe a mode of life in which there is no increased load on the temporomandibular joint. If there are habits of chewing chewing gums, gnawing nails, pens or other objects, you need to fight them. If you often sing songs, you should, at least for a while, forget about it.

Diet .It aims to reduce the burden on the temporomandibular joint during meals. Food should not be hard, should not be chewed for a long time. It is better at this time to switch to porridge, kefir, milk, juices.

Medication. To relieve acute symptoms of the disease( pain), use painkillers such as NSAIDs in the form of ointments and tablets( paracetamol, ibuprofen, ketorol, ketoprofen).To improve the nutrition of the remaining cartilage tissue in the joint, chondroprotectors( chondroetin sulfate and glucosamine) are used.

Physiotherapy .For this purpose, procedures are used such as:

• Microwave therapy
• Ultrasonic therapy
• Laser therapy
• Therapy with dynamic currents
• Electrophoresis

Orthopedic treatment. The aim of this treatment is to correct the occlusion, functions and shape of the teeth. To do this, you can use special kappas, bite plates, palatine plates, mouth opening limiters.

Operative treatment. There are 3 basic operations for the treatment of terminal stages of arthrosis of the temporomandibular joint: removal of the joint disc, removal of the joint of the lower jaw, and removal of the head followed by its replacement with a transplant.

Video: Temporomandibular joint