Comparison of two scales in the assessment of muscle and joint palpation tenderness in chronic temporomandibular disorders

J Orofac Pain. 1993 Fall;7(4):403-7.

Abstract

Following the guidelines of the Craniomandibular Index, 23 chronic patients had 42 muscle and temporomandibular joint sites palpated. Two- and four-point scales were generated in response to the patient's reactions. After 6 weeks of treatment, patients measured with the 2-point scale showed 6.39% improvement in muscle tenderness and patients measured with the 4-point scale showed a 14.99% improvement. These changes were significantly different. Correlation between scales was r = .88 originally and increased to r = .91 after 6 weeks. Results showed that the 4-point scale is significantly more able to detect clinical changes in muscle and joint tenderness than is the 2-point scale.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Chronic Disease
  • Facial Pain / diagnosis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pain Measurement / methods*
  • Palpation
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / diagnosis*