Tactile trigeminal region acuity in temporomandibular disorders: a reliability and cross-sectional study
Abstract
Two-point discrimination (2-PD) is a valuable test for measuring tactile acuity that provides relevant information about cortical reorganization and somatosensory function. The main objectives of the present study were to assess intra- and interexaminer reliability of the 2-PD test in the trigeminal region in asymptomatic individuals and only intraexaminer reliability in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The secondary objective was to observe the correlations of the 2-PD test with regard to pain intensity and psychological and disability variables. Intra- and interexaminer reliability of 2-PD in the trigeminal region was assessed in 40 asymptomatic individuals and 54 patients with TMD. Each clinician received training in the assessment of 2-PD using an esthesiometer and following a standardized protocol for the 3 branches of trigeminal nerve. In the asymptomatic participants, interexaminer (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 0.64-0.88) and test-retest (ICC 0.70-0.87) values were obtained. Given similar test-retest values were shown in the group of patients with TMD (ICC 0.72-0.86), the reliability were considered good-moderate. Statistically significant differences (P<.001) were obtained between the asymptom...Continue Reading
References
Epidemiology of temporomandibular disorders: implications for the investigation of etiologic factors
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