Infectious arthritis and the temporomandibular joint. A review.

OBJECTIVE: Microorganisms can cause acute infectious arthritis, chronic infectious arthritis, or reactive inflammatory arthritis. The aim of this study is to perform a narrative review of the pathophysiology, etiology, and diagnostic features of infectious arthritis and TMJ infectious arthritis. METHODS: A search of the literature was performed using Medline, Scielo, Embase, and Google Scholar databases. The terms employed for the search were "Temporomandibular Joint Disorders" and "Infectious Arthritis"; or "Septic Arthritis"; or "Bacterial, Fungal, or Viral Arthritis." Over three hundred articles were screened for eligibility. RESULTS: The selected articles were utilized to perform a narrative review of the general aspects of infectious arthritis and infectious arthritis affecting the TMJ. CONCLUSION: Infectious arthritis is a rare, yet very morbid, form of arthritis. Understanding general aspects of joint infections and specific features of TMJ infectious arthritis is imperative for an adequate diagnosis.

Destructive psoriatic arthritis of the temporomandibular joint: a clinical case, an overview of the pathophysiology and its differential diagnoses.

Background Clinical assessments and uniplanar images in temporomandibular disorders are not always entirely reliable. This predicament is especially important when clinicians need to determine the nature of temporomandibular joint disease, particularly when clinical features are not helpful in determining the diagnosis.Clinical presentation A 63-year-old female patient presented with mild pain in her right TMJ. During routine imaging exams, a destructive monoarticular arthritis was noticed, producing multiple erosions of the mandibular and temporal condyles. In addition, attrition of the ceiling of the glenoid fossa was observed, generating a communication with the endocranium. Only the presumptive biological behavior revealed on TMJ imaging and the appearance of the psoriatic plaques later during follow-up helped the authors to narrow the differential diagnosis.Conclusion The clinical case presented illustrates the difficulties in diagnosing an erosive, seronegative TMJ destruction, suggestive of a systemic arthritis.

Subcutaneous Lipoatrophy and Skin Depigmentation Secondary to TMJ Intra-Articular Corticosteroid Injection.

Chronic orofacial pain is a complex multidimensional experience that produces disability and impairment of normal mandibular function. Overall estimations of chronic orofacial pain prevalence are 7 to 11% of the general population. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are one of the most prevalent chronic orofacial pain conditions, with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthralgia accounting for 30.1% of TMD patients. Interventional procedures are often used in pain and palliative medicine to achieve reasonable and cost-effective pain relief. The use of intra-articular corticosteroids in relieving arthralgia and improving joint function has been well documented. We present the clinical case of an 84-year-old female patient who presented to the Hospital del Salvador orofacial pain service with preauricular pain, limited range of motion, provoked pain at palpation, and decreased function in the preauricular region. In accordance with the DC/TMD criteria, left TMJ arthralgia and degenerative joint disease was diagnosed and was later corroborated by cone beam computed tomography. An intra-articular injection of 10 mg of methylprednisolone was prescribed, and the patient underwent the procedure in accordance with Hospital del Salvador's intra-articular injection protocol. The patient underwent the intervention without any inconvenience. At the 3-week follow-up visit, the patient presented with a depigmented depression zone adjacent to the site of injection. After echotomography, we concluded that the patient had developed skin depigmentation and subcutaneous lipoatrophy related to the intra-articular injection of methylprednisolone. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of this complication secondary to an interventional procedure in the TMJ. Clinicians should be aware of, and patients must be advised of, this rare complication before an intra-articular intervention.

Management of oromandibular dystonia on a chorea acanthocytosis: a brief review of the literature and a clinical case.

BACKGROUND: Chorea acanthocytosis is an extremely rare neurodegenerative condition characterized by neuropsychiatric disturbances, movement disorders, neuropathy, seizures, and acanthocytosis. In this case report, the authors will present the management of the oromandibular movement disorders associated with this disease. CASE DESCRIPTION: This case report describes the focal management of the severe orofacial manifestations associated with this condition. The therapeutic approach adopted to reduce the severe oromandibular movements, dysphagia, and the numerous oral ulcers was selective electromyography (EMG)-guided botulinum toxin application to the inferior head of the lateral pterygoid muscles and masseters. This would be applied to control severe and sudden oromandibular dystonia. RESULTS: Through this procedure, the authors were able to reduce these severe oral manifestations, which had a major impact on the patient's quality of life, and temporarily improve vital functions, such as mastication, deglutition, and speech articulation. CONCLUSIONS: Electromyography-guided botulinum toxin application may be a useful tool in the multimodal management of this condition.