Association of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, condylar position and dental malocclusions in Davangere population.

AIMS To study the association between dental malocclusions and temporomandibular joint dysfunction.To study the association between dental malocclusions and condylar position.To study the association between temporomandibular (TM) joint dysfunction and condylar position. METHODS The subjects were divided into four groups for dental malocclusions viz. class I malocclusion with or without TM dysfunction, class II division 1 malocclusion with or without TM dysfunction, class II division 2 malocclusion with or without TM dysfunction and class III malocclusion with or without TM dysfunction. Once the patient fulfilled the criteria, the presence or absence of signs of TM dysfunction were elicited from the patient. RESULTS It shows the association between TM dysfunction signs and left and right condylar positions. It shows the association between TM dysfunction symptom and left and right condylar positions. It shows the association between dental malocclusions and TM dysfunction signs and symptom. It shows the association between dental malocclusions and left and right condylar positions. CONCLUSION There was an association between TM dysfunction signs and left and right condylar positions. But, there was no association between TM dysfunction symptoms and left and right condylar positions. There was an association between dental malocclusions and TM dysfunction signs. But there was no association between dental malocclusions and TM dysfunction symptoms. There was an association between dental malocclusions and left condylar position, but there was no association between dental malocclusion and right condylar position. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE This study indicates that malocclusions and factors of condylar position should be seen as merely cofactors in the sense of one piece of the mosaic in the multifactorial problem of TM dysfunction. TM dysfunction factors that showed significant effects to various malocclusions through this study . This study shows clinical significance of association of various types of dental malocclusions to different conylar positions and TM dysfunction signs and symptoms. Before treating orthodontic patients, one should evaluate and treat the TM disorders for better prognosis.