Accuracy of Infrared Thermography of the Masticatory Muscles for the Diagnosis of Myogenous Temporomandibular Disorder

• Published in: Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 245 - 252
• Main Authors: Dibai Filho, Almir Vieira, PT, Packer, Amanda Carine, PT, Costa, Ana Cláudia de Souza, PT, Rodrigues-Bigaton, Delaine, PT, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.05.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; Infrared Rays; Masticatory Muscles - physiopathology; Muscle; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Reference Values; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Skeletal; Skin Temperature; Skin Temperature - physiology; Statistics, Nonparametric; Temporomandibular Joint Disorder; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - diagnosis; Thermography; Thermography - methods; Temporomandibular Joint Disorder; Muscle; Skeletal; Skin Temperature; Thermography
• ISSN: 0161-4754; 1532-6586
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.04.007

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of infrared thermography of the central point of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles for the diagnosis of myogenous temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Methods This is an observational study of university women with and without TMD. Through the use of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, 104 women were divided into a TMD group (n = 52) and control group (n = 52). All volunteers had their masseter and anterior temporalis muscles evaluated by infrared thermography. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the accuracy of diagnosis (area under the ROC curve), the best cut-off point, sensitivity, and specificity. Results No significant differences were observed ( P > .05) in the skin surface temperature of the masticatory muscles, when the groups were compared. With regard to the ROC curve, the area under the curve was lower than the recommended for all the muscles tested, ranging from 0.433 to 0.502. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that infrared thermography of the masticatory muscles is not an accurate instrument for the myogenous TMD diagnosis.