[Clinical and expert aspects of temporomandibular joint disorder diagnostics in outpatient setting].

The present report is based on the results of analysis of the primary medical documentation concerning 5000 patients including 2162 prescription lists issued by stomatologists-orthopedists and obtained from out-patient facilities of different forms of ownership (municipal, departmental, private). The objective of the study was to estimate the efficacy of diagnostics and treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders. It was found that stomatologists in the first place give attention to joint pathology in the patients with acute complaints caused by mandible dislocation, temporomandibular joint arthritis, and painful dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint or well-audible clicking of the jaw. Stomatologists tend to undertake the most thorough examination of the patients presenting with pathology of the temporomandibular joint following dental prosthetics even though the respective primary medical documentation does not contain indications to temporomandibular joint disorders. It is concluded that inadequate diagnostics of temporomandibular pathology creates prerequisites for the conflicts between the dentist and the patient and for the reference to the court of the case of a patient.