The TMJ scale and undetected brain tumors in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

The symptoms of non-temporomandibular disorders, including mass lesions of the central nervous system, may mimic or be masked by symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, and thus not be detected. The dentist must remain alert to this possibility and maintain a high level of suspicion. Three cases illustrate how the TMJ Scale was used in patients having internal derangements of the temporomandibular joints to screen for and detect non-temporomandibular disorders, which, on further evaluation or referral, led to the diagnosis of brain tumors that had not been detected previously.