Improvement of the prosthodontic treatment protocol in patients with TMD via functional diagnosis

Abstract

Relevance. The purpose of the research is to improve the functional diagnosis protocol in prosthodontic treatment of patients with TMD.Materials and methods. The optimal position of the mandible was determined for each patient by two methods: 1) TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and 2) TENS + kinesiography. Then, the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) data were analyzed to determine the most physiological position of the condyles.Results. The analysis of the CT scans of patients without TMD (control group) showed that the right and left condyles occupy an anterior or central symmetrical position relative to the glenoid fossa. In the first and second methods, the condyles occupy an anterior or central position, which is the most optimal position of the lower jaw for the manufacturing of an occlusal stabilization splint. The statistical coefficients allowed us to determine that the second method was more accurate, since the obtained values were lower than those of the first method.Conclusion. Based on the results of this study, we can conclude that the improvement of the protocol, namely a new method for determining the optimal position of the mandible is more time-consuming, but more accurate and allows increasing the effectiveness at all stages of treatment of patients with this pathology.