ABSTRACT
Etiologic and pathogenetic aspects cause the most contentious issue in the study of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome in childhood and adolescence. Some researchers have linked the emergence of this group of diseases with abnormal occlusion, others have more emphasis on the age characteristics of a growing organism, or rather on a number of morphological and psychomotor processes arising and ending at puberty and cause physiological abnormalities in the growing organism. The aim of the study was to improve the method of complex treatment of TMJ dysfunction in adolescence by exploring its development factors with early diagnosis methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have examined by clinical and radiological methods 33 patients with TMJ syndrome disorder between the ages of 11 to 18 years, 20 of them (60.6%) girls and 13 (39.4%) boys. All examined patients complained of the presence of clicks in the joint when they open mouth widely, irregular movement of the lower jaw when opening the mouth, the periodic occurrence of unilateral pain in the joint and the ear, increasing when taking rigid and solid food, which allowed us to establish the diagnosis of the TMJ syndrome. A clinical study has focused on the survey of patients, and in some cases their parents, in order to study carefully the history of life and disease, and the patient's complaints. We have found out the factors predisposing to the disease: the presence of various bad habits, family history, trauma of the lower jaw and TMJ, errors in orthodontic treatment. RESULTS: The data obtained showed that 16 (48.5%) patients had a history revealed various factors that contribute to the TMJ syndrome. The presence of various bad habits was about 38%. In addition, 13 (39.4%) patients reported the presence of emotional stress. The presence of orthodontic pathology was determined in 26 (78.8%) patients, 7 (21.2%) patients had no dentofacial disorders was not determined. The most common symptom, occurring in 27 (81.8%) patients was clicking in the joint with one or two sides, as well as excessive excursion of articular heads, occurring in 17 (51.5%) patients. A distinctive feature of TMJ syndrome manifestations in children and adolescents is relatively rare, in contrast to adults, the appearance of symptoms: pain when opening the mouth wide detected only 7 (21.2%) patients; pain in the joints - 8 (24.2%) patients; pain in the masticatory muscles - 6 (18.2%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the above, the etiological factors of musculo-articular dysfunction of the TMJ in adolescence can be not only dental anomalies, but also the presence of bad habits, disproportions in the growth of the bone and muscular skeleton and hypokinetic states caused by psychophysiological responses to chronic stress. Accordingly, treatment of patients with this pathology should be comprehensive and include not only treatment of the dental system, but also be aimed at the uniform development of the musculoskeletal system in children and at eliminating bad habits and chronic stress factors.