Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction in a cohort of women with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) is characterized by the presence of signs and symptoms that lead to functional changes in this joint. Most of the times with a multifactorial etiology, it can be associated to systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives: to evaluate the prevalence of TMD in a cohort of women with RA, as well as possible links between its presence and disease activity and duration, smoking and frequent consumption of chewing gum, compared with a control group of healthy controls. Material and methods: Fonseca's Anamnesic Questionnaire, validated for the assessment of TMD, was applied to a cohort of 63 female outpatients with a diagnosis of RA according to the American College of Rheumatology classification. To obtain patient's clinical information, we reviewed the hospital medical records. Data were introduced on the SPSS 17.0 system and ANOVA and e Kruskall-Walis tests and Tukey analysis were performed, as well as chi-square test.