H. Kurita et al., Chewing ability as a parameter for evaluating the disability of patients with temporomandibular disorders, J ORAL REH, 28(5), 2001, pp. 463-465
Restoration of chewing ability is an important aspect of the treatment for
temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). However, too little attention has been
paid to it. We have used questionnaire to evaluate and score the chewing ab
ility of TMD patients. The questionnaire includes 19 kinds of food and a ch
ewing task. The patient was asked if she/he experiences difficulty in enjoy
ing eating. The aim of this study was to evaluate correlations between scor
e of chewing ability (SCA) and other symptoms/signs of TMD. Four hundred an
d seventy-three consecutive TMD patients were evaluated for SCA and other s
ymptoms/signs including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, TMJ and muscle
tenderness, TMJ noise (clicking and crepitus), and maximum mouth opening. T
he relationship between SCA and other symptoms/signs were analysed by multi
ple regression analysis. Score of chewing ability correlated significantly
with TMJ pain and mouth opening capacity but not with TMJ noise and muscle
tenderness. Age was a background factor but sex was not. The result of this
`study suggests that SCA correlated with dysfunction of the TMD patients.
This method could be used to evaluate the ability of chewing in assessment
of TMD.