Dental & Oral Health

TMJ pain intensity and systemic inflammatory activity in patients with RA are involved in activities of daily living and quality of life impairment. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is often and early affected by RA. For example Aliko and coworkers found that 65% of RA patients have TMJ symptoms. The most common clinical finding is TMJ pain, especially on movement or loading. Involvement of the TMJ by RA may, besides pain, cause limitations of jaw function due to restriction of condylar translation. An anterior opening of the bite due to articular cartilage and bone tissue destruction may develop. So, both current TMJ pain intensity and systemic inflammatory activity play roles in the impact of TMJ pain on daily living and quality of life in RA. This implicates that TMJ treatment planning and prognosis estimation in RA patients should not only consider the TMJ pain intensity but also the systemic inflammatory activity.