Aims: To compare the difference in the quality of life between temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients and non-TMD subjects diagnosed with the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) or the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). Methods: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE) and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) databases were searched in studies published in English and Portuguese. The search was performed by two independent reviewers in duplicate. A manual search and the gray literature were also included. The inclusion criteria were clinical studies that used the RDC/TMD axis I and quality of life with standard questionnaires in young and middle-aged adult population (18–55 years). The data were analyzed quantitatively by combining the results in a meta-analysis using forest plots. The measure of effect used was the standardized mean difference (SMD) in depression levels. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. The publication bias was assessed by funnel plots. The initial search included 806 articles without duplications. Results: Twenty-four articles were included in the final systematic review. Of these, 9 were included in the meta-analysis, where it was shown a statistically significant in all axis I groups: (a) global TMD—groups I, II and III combined, N = 3829, SMD (95% CI) = 1.06 (0.65–1.51), p = 0.000; (b) group I—muscle disorders, N = 3,056, SMD (95% CI) = 0.82 (0.45–1.18), p = 0.000; (c) group II—disc displacements, N = 3,184, SMD (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.26–0.91), p = 0.000; and (d) group III—arthralgia/arthritis/arthrosis, N = 2781, SMD (95% CI) = 0.98 (0.59–1.36), p = 0.000. When compared to controls. Conclusions: Quality of life is affected in all axis I TMD patients, especially in groups I and III with higher pain intensity and disability as compared to group II.

Objective: To determine the role of occlusal variables (overbite; overjet; number of anterior and posterior teeth; bilateral canine guidance on lateral and protrusive movements; anterior centric slide; Angle Classes I, II, and III malocclusion) as risk indicators for the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Materials and Methods: Seventy-two TMD patients with myofascial pain, with or without limited opening and arthralgia, as well as 30 age- and gender-matched pain-free concurrent controls were included. The association (critical odds ratio [OR] = 2.0) between the significant occlusal variables and TMD was calculated. Confounders were controlled in the inclusion-exclusion criteria as well as in the analysis stage (unconditional logistic regression) by variation in the OR (15%). Results: Angle Class II malocclusion (crude OR = 8.0, confidence interval [CI] = 2.2 to 29.3) and the absence of bilateral canine guidance on lateral excursion (crude OR = 3.9, CI = 1.6 to 9.7) were statistic...

Vertical facial pattern may be related to the direction of pull of the masticatory muscles, yet its effect on occlusal force and elastic deformation of the mandible still is unclear. This study tested whether the variation in vertical facial pattern is related to the variation in maximum occlusal force (MOF) and medial mandibular flexure (MMF) in 51 fully-dentate adults.

Approximately 6 to 16% of patients with trigeminal neuralgia symptoms present intracranial tumors, the most common being the vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma). Some symptoms reported by patients include hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, vertigo and trigeminal disturbances. An increased muscle response in the surrounding head and neck musculature may also be observed, which mimics signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders. In these cases, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proved to be a useful tool in tumor diagnosis. The differential diagnosis between myofascial and neuralgic pain is important, as both may present similar characteristics, while being of different origin, and demanding special treatment approaches. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relationship among trigeminal neuralgia symptoms, intracranial tumors and temporomandibular dysfunction by presenting a clinical case.