ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL Movimientos mandibulares en el síndrome de disfunción temporomandibular Mandibular movements in temporomandibular dysfunction syndrome

Introduction: temporomandibular dysfunction is a major health problem affecting more than 50 % of the world population at some point in their lives. Objective: to establish a methodology for measuring the movement range of maximum buccal opening when there is overbite, when this is void and in the cases of adachia. Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study of patients with temporomandibular dysfunction syndrome, who attended the maxillofacial surgery service, of Miguel Enriquez University Hospital between June 2011 and March 2012. A data collection form was made involving variables such as: overbite, anterior adachia, maximum virtual buccal opening and maximum real buccal opening, right and left mandibular laterotrusive excursion and protrusive mandibular excursion. Results: the maximum real buccal opening with overbite was obtained by adding the maximum virtual buccal opening to overbite and averaged 35.4 mm, in patients with adachia it was obtained by subtracting the adachia dimension to the maximum virtual buccal opening with an average of 30.9 mm. In patients with edge-to-edge relationship there is a match between the virtual and real buccal opening, which averaged 35.4 mm. The maximum real buccal opening was decreased in all stages of Wilkes, except IV, for an average of 33.5 mm. Conclusions: the maximum real buccal opening was obtained in patients with overbite by adding it to the maximum real buccal opening in patients with adachia, subtracting the same to the maximum virtual buccal opening and in edge-to-edge patients coincides with the maximum virtual buccal opening. Mandibular movements were found diminished.