the occlusal imaging and analysis system by t-scan iii in tinnitus patients
;Federica Di Berardino;Eliana Filipponi;Massimo Schiappadori;Stella Forti;Diego Zanetti;Antonio Cesarani
osteoarthritis and cartilage2016Vol. 39pp. 139-144
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berardino2016biomedicalthe
Abstract
Background: Several studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in tinnitus patients ranges from 7% to 95%, and it is reported in literature that idiopathic tinnitus patients should be referred to a dentist to define whether or not the tinnitus is associated with TMD. However, the possible pathophysiological relation between TMDs and tinnitus is not generally investigated in clinical practice.
Methods: The patterns and forces of occlusal contacts have been studied by means of T-scan III in 47 tinnitus patients (23 suffering from idiopathic tinnitus and 24 affected by Ménière disease [MD]) and 13 healthy subjects.
Results: The center of force target was offset in the opposite direction in 15/23 idiopathic tinnitus and in 7/24 MD patients (p = 0.026). No significant variation was found in the occlusal force.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that a diagnostic screening method for occlusal stability in the intercuspidal position might be clinically useful in idiopathic tinnitus patients.