Stylohyoid complex ossification in temporomandibular disorder: a case-control study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Stylohyoid complex ossification (SCO) can be associated with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). However, this subject is poorly investigated in epidemiological studies.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between TMD and SCO.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Seventy-eight individuals with TMD and 93 control individuals without TMD were enrolled in a case-control study and paired according to age and gender. Panoramic radiographs were made of all participants, and SCO was measured in millimeters (mm) by a blinded researcher. Ossification was held to begin at measurements of 30 mm or more. The association between symptoms (pain upon swallowing or turning the head and the sensation of a foreign body in the throat) and SCO was investigated. Pearson chi-square tests were used for the comparison of proportions, (α=.05).

RESULTS

A total of 44.9% of those with TMD and 46.2% of the control population exhibited SCO (P=.858). TMD was associated with pain upon swallowing (P<.05) and upon turning the head P<.01), but there were no associations between the symptoms possibly related to SCO and the presence of ossification (pain upon swallowing P=.658; sensation of a foreign body in the throat P=.980; pain upon turning the head P=.405).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that there are no associations between TMD and SCO. Some symptoms classically associated with SCO also occur in TMD patients.