Thermographic findings related to facial pain - a survey of 40 subjects.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess how thermography findings relate painful symptoms and signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Methods: Thermography, combined with chewing of paraffin wax, was performed on 40 subjects. The results were analyzed according to gender and pain-related TMD symptoms and clinical signs.

Results: The overall temperatures after chewing were higher in TMD patients than in controls. For females, the most significant findings were the thermal increase between the relaxed state and subjects' state after chewing in temporal and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) regions. For males, all calculated parameters demonstrated a poor ability to discriminate TMD from controls.

Conclusion: Thermography could be a potential tool in diagnostics of female TMD patients. The results suggest that the thermal information assessed in specific facial areas could help to discriminate TMD patients from non-TMD patients and could be used to quantify the pain associated with TMD.