Temporomandibular disorders in adults with repaired cleft lip and palate : a comparison with controls

• The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and assess psycho‐social distress in adult subjects with repaired complete cleft lip and palate (CLP). Sixty‐three adults (42 males and 21 females, mean age 24.2 years, range 19.5–29.2) with repaired CLP (CLP group) were compared with a group of 66 adults without cleft (non‐cleft group, 49 males and 17 females, mean age 25.5 years, range 20.2–29.9). All subjects underwent a clinical TMD examination, which followed the guidelines in the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD). Jaw function was assessed by evaluating answers to the mandibular function impairment questionnaire (MFIQ).Tension‐type headache was diagnosed according to the International Headache Society (IHS) classification. Psychological status was assessed using the depression score and the non‐specific physical symptom score with subscales of the Revised Symptom Checklist‐90 (SCL‐90‐R).The prevalence of reported pain in the face, jaws and/or TMJs was 14 and 9 per cent for the CLP and non‐cleft group, respectively, and did not differ significantly between the groups. The CLP group exhibited a significantly reduced jaw‐opening pattern (P < 0.001) and a higher frequency of crossbites (P < 0.05) compared with the non‐cleft group. Whilst jaw function was similar in both groups, a few items, e.g. speech and drinking, were significantly more impaired (P < 0.01) in the CLP group than in the non‐cleft group. There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning tension‐type headache or psycho‐social distress.The study found that overall TMD pain or psycho‐social distress was not more common in this CLP group than in a non‐cleft group.

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