Generalized joint hypermobility as a factor in clicking of the temporomandibular joint.

Twenty-six patients with clicking or locking of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and 28 age- and sex-matched controls were assessed for generalized joint hypermobility by BEIGHTON's method. Function of the masticatory apparatus was measured with FRICTON's Craniomandibular Index. The TMJ patients had significantly higher joint mobility scores, but within the patient group there was no correlation between either the dysfunction or palpation scores and the hypermobility scores. The findings are interpreted as supporting multiple causes of TMJ internal derangement, one of which is a systemic joint factor.