Skin surface temperature over the temporomandibular joint and masseter muscle in patients with craniomandibular disorder.

Skin surface temperature was measured over the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and over the origin of the superficial portion of the masseter muscle in 59 patients with craniomandibular disorder of different character. Forty patients suffered from disorder of muscular origin, 11 from non-specific arthritis and 8 from symptomatic osteoarthrosis. The degree of mandibular dysfunction was estimated by the clinical dysfunction score and index. The temperature was measured by a thermistor applied to the skin. The clinical dysfunction score of the patients varied between 1 and 25 units. Eleven patients had a clinical dysfunction index of I, 22 had II and 26 had III. The temperature over the TMJ varied between 31.3 degrees C and 36.7 degrees C, and over the masseter muscle between 31.1 degrees C and 35.5 degrees C. The patients with unilateral tenderness to palpation of the TMJ and who were diagnosed to have TMJ arthritis had a higher skin surface temperature over the symptomatic than non-symptomatic joint. It was concluded that tenderness to palpation of the TMJ in patients with TMJ arthritis is associated with raised skin surface temperature over the joint.