Affiliations: Dentist Implantology Periodontology TMD-Centre Private
Practice, Coburg, Germany | Poliklinik für Zahnärztliche Prothetik und
Werkstoffkunde, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany | CMD-Centrum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. Michael Pampel, Dentist
Implantology Periodontology TMD-Centre Private Practice, Ketschendorfer Str.
24, D-96450 Coburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 09561 1369; Fax: +49 09561 1611; E-mail:
praxis@dr-pampel.de, www.dr-pampel.de
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Playing a wind instrument can be either a reason for
overuse or a protecting factor against certain diseases. Some individuals have
many findings but low morbidity while others have few findings but high
morbidity. This contradictory phenomenon should be researched. OBJECTIVE: The temporomandibular system (TMS) is a functional unit
which comprises the mandible, associated muscles and bilateral joints with the
temporal bone. The TMS is responsible for the generation of sound when wind
instruments are played. Over the long-term and with intensive usage, this
causes changes in the musculature and in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of
wind musicians, often resulting in temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The aim
of this study is to examine evidence that TMD constitute an occupational
disease in wind musicians. PARTICIPANTS: TMD patients and wind musicians were examined by
dental clinical functional analysis. 102 male subjects were divided into three
groups: "healthy" individuals, wind musicians, and patients with TMD. METHODS: Dental Examination was carried out based on focused
inclusion of the research diagnostic criteria – TMD [1,7]. Findings were
evaluated for statistical significance by first transferring data into a
digital database [2,15], then generating T-Test und Wilcoxon-Test when
non-Gaussian distribution appears and applying the Mann-Whitney rank sum test
using Sigmaplot Version 1.1 software (Systat Software Inc, Washington, USA).
RESULTS: The evaluation revealed that wind instrument musicians show
a high incidence of developing TMD as the researchers found almost 100%
morbidity regarding parafunctional habits and preauricular muscle pain of each
adult and highly active musician. The result is highly significant (p<
0.001) for protrusion distance of the mandible. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of functional disorders of the
musculoskeletal system has previously been demonstrated in wind musicians. New
research results and the typical functions of various wind instruments provide
evidence that playing a wind instrument generates occupational risks to the
TMS.
