FUTURE OF TREATMENT OF TEMPROMANDIBULAR JOINT DYSFUNCTIONS IN PARKINSONIAN PATIENTS

Abstract

The purpose of the study was designed to clarify the modern trends of physical therapy in
treatment of tempromandibular dysfunctions in Parkinsonian patients . In this respect, the
degree of disabilities, pain, the muscles power of both masseter and temporalis, the angle of
mouth opening and their effect on electromyography study in both sexes. Subjects, thirty
males and females were the same degree of disabilities according to modified Hoehn and
Yahr scales (grade 3) of Parkinsonian patients , their age ranged from 50-77 years old and
their weight ranged from 60-88Kg. They were randomly divided into two equal groups
(G1and G2). G1 (control)consists of 15 patients of both sexes and was treated by exercises
therapy program and G2(experimental) consists of 15 Parkinsonian patients of both sexes and
was treated by the same exercises therapy program and low level pulsed electromagnetic
therapy . Vital signs as blood pressure, body temperature, pulse rate and respiratory rate were
measured before and after the treatment sessions. Assessments, visual analogue scale was
used to measure degree of pain, Tensiometer was used to measure the muscle power of
masseter and pterygoid, the digital mouth caliper was used to investigate the angle of TMJ
opening. Moreover, by the use of standard electromyography test (EMG) to measure the
compound muscle action potentials. Statistically the results for all groups were analyzed by ttest
to compare the differences between the two groups. The statistical package of social
sciences (SPSS, version10) was used for data processing using the p-value 0.05 as a level of
significance. Results, showed that there was significant improvements in all variables in G2
only. However, there was a little improvement but not significant in both G1. Therefore, it
could be concluded that the use of low level pulsed electromagnetic therapy combined with
exercises program were the good method to control pain of TMJ, increase muscle power and
the angle of mouth opening together with determination of electromyography. Our results
open a new link to manage the TMJ dysfunctions in Parkinsonian patients via the use of low
frequency of electromagnetic therapy combined with exercises program.