The purpose of this study was to assess the them ographic differences of craniomandibular area between normal indivisuals and patients with craniomandibular disorders and to compare the differences between clinical and therrnographical assessment.
The author had used 50 subjects as materials for this study, which was divided into 2 groups (first group included 15 healthy subjects and second group included 35 patients) with craniomandibular disorders; 17 subjects had normal disc-condyle relationship, 13 subjects had disc displacement with reduction and 5 subjects had disc displacement without reduction. .
Agema 870 thermovision(D.LT.L) was used to take thermographs with 0.i ´C difference of gradual temperature shift.
The results were as follows
1. Of 34 patients with craniofacial pain, 15(44.1%) subjects showed hyperthermia on the pain site in the thermography, 8(23.5%) exhibited hyperthermia on the site opposed to the pain site, and 11(32.4%) did not show any significant thermal change. One patient without craniofacial pain showed hyperthenmia on the site opposed to the site of disc displacement without reduction.
2. Of 35 patients with craniofacial pain or disc dispalcement, 24(68.6%) subjects showed a significant thermal difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic sides of the face, but 11(31.4%) did not show any difference.
3. Of 17 patients with pain but with. normal disc-condyle relationship, 8(47.1%) subjects showed hyperthe mia on the pain site, 4(23.5%) showed on the site opposed to the pain site, and 5(29.4%) did not show any significant thermal change.
4. Of 13 patients with pain and disc dispacement with reduction, 6(46.2%) subjects showed hyperthenmia on the pain site, 3(23.1%) showed on the site opposed to the pain site, and 4(30.8%) did not show any significant thermal change.
5. 15 healthy subjects did not show any thermal differences between the both sides of the face.
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