TMJ Diseases & Disorders - Basics - What To Call It?
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What To Call It?
Over the years pain and dysfunction of the jaw joint has been identified by many names. In 1934 an Otolaryngologist, Costen, blamed the loss of vertical dimension for TMJ symptoms and subsequently TMJ became Costen's Syndrome. In the sixties it became the TMJ pain and dysfunction syndrome (TMPD). The seventies added myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPD) to the mix. In the eighties, the dental community introduced the phrase temporomandibular disorders (TMD). This is the term in vogue; however, some believe Craniomandibular Disorders (CMD) best describes the condition, while others suggest the use of Trigeminal Mandibular Disorders.
The 1996 National Institutes of Health Technology Assessment Conference on Management of Temporomandibular Disorders recognized the abundance and confusion of terms used to indicate the same medical condition. A report from that conference states, "even the name TMD is not universally endorsed".
In an article entitled A Lifetime of Motion: Temporomandibular Joints, published in the Journal of the American Dental Association (Vol. 127, July 1996), Dr. Harold Slavkin, Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research used the phrase "Temporomandibular Joint Diseases and Disorders". The TMJ Association supports the use of this term as it is both inclusive and precise. We believe the specification "diseases" appropriately confirms the arthritic etiology present in some patients, and "disorders" acknowledges the numerous other factors in the development of TMJ pain and dysfunction. Though we support the use of this terminology, we will not initiate another set of letters, TMJDD, for a condition patients already know as "TMJ."
We will continue to refer to this condition as TMJ because the public and mass media most readily recognize and understand this designation. Until the scientific community provides a thorough understanding of TMJ problems, we cannot expect to enjoy a single universally accepted identification. We, too, at times will awkwardly trip over diseases/disorders/problems. We trust you all will realize what we are talking about - only too well!
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