An analysis of the etiology of temporomandibular joint disorder

Temporomandibular joint disorder is a general term for a group of disorders involving the temporomandibular joint and/or the masticatory muscle system, causing joint pain, popping and abnormal mouth opening. TMJ is the only left-right joint in the body and is one of the most complex joints in the human body. According to the epidemiological survey, the age of TMJ disorders is mostly concentrated in two age groups, one is adolescents and the other is middle-aged and elderly. TMJ disorders often have a long course, which can last for several years or more than a decade. Pain in the joint area can recur, joint popping or murmurs can be heard during jaw movements, patients have restricted mouth opening or open mouth type deviation, there is often pressure pain in the lateral and posterior areas of the joint, and facial asymmetry can occur. Imaging of the joints (TMJ CBCT and open and closed mouth) may reveal narrowing of the joint space, degenerative changes in the condyles, fossae and articular nodes, such as osteophyte formation, labral hyperplasia of the anterior oblique surface of the condyles, osteosclerosis, cystic changes, and grinding of the condyles and fossae. Changes such as anterior displacement of the articular disc, perforation and rupture of the articular disc can be seen on arthrography or magnetic resonance imaging. TMJ is one of the most complex joints in the body, consisting of the temporal articular surface of the temporal bone, the condyle of the mandible, the articular disc between the two, and the joint capsule and ligaments surrounding the joint. The etiology of TMJ disorders is unknown, but recent studies have shown that the development of TMJ disorders may be related to the following factors: psychological factors, dental factors, trauma, metabolism, bad habits and medical factors. Domestic and foreign scholars tend to regard psychosomatic factors as the first pathogenic factor, for example, students who are mentally stressed before and after examinations tend to develop the disease; people who are mentally depressed or anxious tend to develop the disease. Factors of dentition are commonly found in oral diseases affecting occlusion such as missing teeth and eruption of third molars. Disturbed dental relationships, malocclusion, and dental interference can also lead to osteoarthrosis. Temporomandibular joint disc displacement and joint disc perforation are associated with osteoarthrosis, but osteoarthrosis can also cause joint disc displacement as well as joint disc perforation. It is also believed that mechanical injury, biochemical and enzymatic interactions can lead to the development of osteoarthropathy. Local factors are the main cause of secondary osteoarthropathies, such as continuous abnormal pressure on the joint, biting hard objects, lateral chewing, syndrome, clenching of teeth, trauma, car accidents, external blows to the jaw, and external force transmission leading to the condyle, which causes the cartilage on the joint surface to be destroyed first, thus slowly leading to the development of osteoarthropathies. Epidemiological surveys have found that the incidence of osteoarthrosis in the elderly occupies a large proportion of the population, which may be due to aging that changes the biochemical composition, enzymes, and morphology of joint tissues and decreases resistance to injury. There are also some bad habits, such as clenching teeth, night grinding, lateral chewing, biting hard objects (betel nut chewing, chewing gum eating), etc., which can easily lead to TMJ disease. The medical factors are often related to oral treatment, such as prolonged mouth opening, over-open mouth, violent tooth extraction, improper occlusion of restorative crowns, and over-fillings, etc. Under the high pressure of today’s society, it is important to have an optimistic attitude towards life, work and life, not to do what you are not happy about, and not to stop saying unpleasant things. “The rain and wind is like obscurity, the rooster does not crow. Both see the gentleman, the cloud Hu do not like?” , people are not easy, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish, Hold on.”