ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate jaw movements and the masticatory muscle in patients who underwent craniotomy for treatment of cerebral aneurysm. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. RESULTS: There were 71 patients evaluated between 4 and 6 months after craniotomy, by means of a systematized approach. Their mean age was 45.3 years. Thirty-four (47.9%) patients complained of headache during dental evaluation. Twenty (28.2%) patients reported pain during normal jaw movements. There was a correlation between pain complaints and jaw movements during dental examinations (P = .03). Patients with postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness on palpation than those without post-craniotomy headache (P < .02). Jaw protrusion was worse than the reference values (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Headache was the complaint in 47.9% of the sample. Jaw movement was statistically a pain-precipitating factor. Patients who suffered from postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness. There were functional jaw limitations.
