Treatment Outcome of Temporomandibular Disorder Patients Referred to the Department of Prosthodontics at Mashhad Dental School

This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). This cross-sectional study examined records of 165 TMD patients who referred to the Department of Prosthodontics at the Dental School of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from 2012 to 2017. Patients were recalled and clinically reexamined for reduced signs and symptoms or total improvement. Treatment outcomes were characterized as “improved” and “not improved” in terms of clicking sound and pain in the joint. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 18) using the Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests at a significance level of less than 0.05 (P<0.05). The subjects included 53 males (32.1%) and 112 females (67.9%) with a mean ±SD age of 31.7 ± 13.6 years. The patients with a locked mandible and joint sounds while opening their mouth or chewing recovered significantly. Moreover, a significant association was found between improvement and the absence of the anterior slide, and patients without an anterior slide improved better than those with the anterior slide (P<0.05). The use of conservative methods in the treatment of TMD is highly recommended regardless of factors such as age, gender, and clinical symptoms.