Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Temporomandibular disorders, TMD, TMJ syndrome

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your jaw to the side of your head. When it works well, it enables you to talk, chew and yawn. For people with TMJ dysfunction, problems with the joint and muscles around it may cause

Pain that travels through the face, jaw or neck
Stiff jaw muscles
Limited movement or locking of the jaw
Painful clicking or popping in the jaw
A change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together

Jaw pain may go away with little or no treatment. Treatment may include simple things you can do yourself, such as eating soft foods or applying ice packs. It may also include pain medicines or devices to insert in your mouth. In rare cases, you might need surgery.

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Start Here

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/temporomandibularjointdisorders/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/temporomandibularjointdisordersspanish/htm/index.htm
TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Disorders(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/TMJ/TMJDisorders.htm

Overviews

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/tmj-disorders/DS00355/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
TMJ(American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery) - http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/tmj.cfm

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Tooth Problems(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/511.printerview.html

Treatment

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Orofacial_TMD.asp

Prevention/Screening

Are You Biting Off More Than You Can Chew?(Academy of General Dentistry) - http://www.agd.org/support/articles/?ArtID=1343

Related Issues

Bruxism/Teeth Grinding(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bruxism/DS00337/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Equilibration Lessens TMD Pain(Academy of General Dentistry) - http://www.agd.org/support/articles/?ArtID=1344
Headaches and Jaw Pain? Check Your Posture!(Academy of General Dentistry) - http://www.agd.org/support/articles/?ArtID=1347
TMJ - Another Cause of Headache and Facial Pain(National Headache Foundation) - http://www.headaches.org/education/Headache_Topic_Sheets/TMJ
Also available in Spanish http://www.headaches.org/education/Spanish_Topics/Cabeza

Tutorials

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/temporomandibularjointdisorders/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/temporomandibularjointdisordersspanish/htm/index.htm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Temporomandibular+Joint+Disorders%22

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Effect of botulinum toxin-A in myofascial pain patients with or... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18634953&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Craniofacial polyostotic fibrous dysplasia: a case report and review of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18585612&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: A pilot whole systems clinical trial of traditional chinese medicine... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18564953&tool=MedlinePlus
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=temporomandibular+joint+disorders[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Medical Encyclopedia

TMJ - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=TMJ

Organizations

Academy of General Dentistry - http://www.agd.org/
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons - http://www.aaoms.org/
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research - http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Mouth and Teeth - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mouthandteeth.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research - http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/