Effects of Head Posture on the Rotational Torque Movement of Mandible in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders

두경부 위치에 따른 측두하악장애환자의 하악 torque 회전운동 분석

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of specific head positions on the mandibular rotational torque movements in maximum mouth opening, protrusion and lateral excursion. Thirty dental students without any sign or symptom of temporomandibular disorders(TMDs) were included as a control group and 90 patients with TMDs were selected and examined by routine diagnostic procedure for TMDs including radiographs and were classified into 3 subgroups : disc displacement with reduction, disc displacement without reduction, and degenerative joint disease. Mandibular rotational torque movements were observed in four head postures: upright head posture(NHP), upward head posture(UHP), downward head posture(DHP), and forward head posture(FHP). For UHP, the head was inclined 30 degrees upward: for DHP, the head was inclined 30 degrees downward: for FHP, the head was positioned 4cm forward. These positions were adjusted with the use of cervical range-of-motion instrumentation(CROM, Performance Attainment Inc., St. Paul, U.S.A.). Mandibular rotational torque movements were monitored with the Rotate program of BioPAK system (Bioresearch Inc., WI, U.S.A.). The rotational torque movements in frontal and horizontal plane during mandibular border movement were recorded with two parameters: frontal rotational torque angle and horizontal rotational torque angle. The data obtained was analyzed by the SAS/Stat program. The obtained results were as follows : 1. The control group showed significantly larger mandibular rotational angles in UHP than those in DHP and FHP during maximum mouth opening in both frontal and horizontal planes. Disc displacement with reduction group showed significantly larger mandibular rotational angles in DHP and FHP than those in NHP during lateral excursion to the affected and non-affected sides in both frontal and horizontal planes(p<0.05). 2. Disc displacement without reduction group showed significantly larger mandibular rotational angles in FHP than those in any other head postures during maximum mouth opening as well as lateral excursion to the affected and non-affected sides in both frontal and horizontal planes. Degenerative joint disease group showed significantly larger mandibular rotational angles in FHP than those in any other head postures during maximum mouth opening, protrusion and lateral excursion in both frontal and horizontal planes(p<0.05). 3. In NHP, mandibular rotational angle of the control group was significantly larger than that of any other patient subgroups. Mandibular rotational angle of disc displacement with reduction group was significantly larger than that of disc displacement without reduction group during maximum mouth opening in the frontal plane. Mandibular rotational angle of disc displacement without reduction group was significantly larger than that of disc displacement with reduction group or degenerative joint disease group during maximum mouth opening in the horizontal plane(p<0.05). 4. In NHP, mandibular rotational angles of disc displacement without reduction group were significantly larger than those of the control group or disc displacement with reduction group during lateral excursion to the affected side in both frontal and horizontal planes. Mandibular rotational angle of disc displacement without reduction group was significantly smaller than that of the control group during lateral excursion to the non-affected side in frontal plane. Mandibular rotational angle of disc displacement without reduction group was significantly larger than that of disc displacement with reduction group during lateral excursion to the non-affected side in the horizontal plane(p<0.05). 5. In NHP, mandibular rotational angle of the control group was significantly smaller than that of disc displacement with reduction group or disc displacement without reduction group during protrusion in the frontal plane. Mandibular rotational angle of disc displacement without reduction group was significantly larger than that of the disc displacement with reduction group or degenerative joint disease group during protrusion in the horizontal plane. Mandibular rotational angle of the control group was significantly smaller than that of disc displacement without reduction group or degenerative joint disease group during protrusion in the horizontal plane(p<0.05). 6. In NHP, disc displacement without reduction group and degenerative joint disease group showed significantly larger mandibular rotational angles during lateral excursion to the affected side than during lateral excursion to the non-affected side in both frontal and horizontal planes(p<0.05). The findings indicate that changes in head posture can influence mandibular rotational torque movements. The more advanced state is a progressive stage of TMDs, the more influenced by FHP are mandibular rotational torque movements of the patients with TMDs.