Generalized Joint Laxity and Temporomandibular Disorders

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) has been suggested to be of multifactorial etiology. One factor that has been suggested is laxity of joint ligaments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between generalized joint hypermobility and TMD. Thirty-eight asymptomatic volunteers and 62 symptomatic patients were included in this study. All asymptomatic volunteers did not have temporomandibular joint pain, limited jaw movement, joint sounds, or previous TMD treatment. All subjects had bilateral magnetic resonance imaging scans in the sagittal closed and opened and coronal closed positions. The Beighton test was used to score joint laxity with a laxity score of > or = 4 to define generalized joint laxity. The symptomatic group had an increase in joint laxity as compared to asymptomatic control subjects (odds ratio 4.0 [95% confidence interval = 1.38 to 10.95, P = .01]). There were no differences in laxity between male and female symptomatic subjects (P > .05). This study suggests a positive correlation between generalized joint laxity and TMD.

hypermobility; joint instability; joints; temporomandibular joint