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Temporomandibular disorders assessment: medicolegal considerations in the evidence‐based era
Author(s) -
MANFREDINI D.,
BUCCI M. B.,
MONTAGNA F.,
GUARDANARDINI L.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of oral rehabilitation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.991
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2842
pISSN - 0305-182X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2842.2010.02131.x
Subject(s) - malpractice , medline , medicine , medical literature , family medicine , pathology , political science , law
Summary Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a frequent finding in cases of facial trauma or dental malpractice, and legal claims for TMD damage have been increased over the years. Temporomandibular disorders assessment in the medical legal setting is complicated by the peculiarities of these disorders, whose symptoms are heterogeneous, fluctuant, and recognise a multifactorial origin. A systematic Medline search in the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database pointed out that, despite the medical legal aspects of the dental profession are gaining a growing attention, there is a paucity of literature dealing with patients with TMD assessment. For these reasons, evidence‐based knowledge in the field of TMD diagnosis and treatment was summarised in this article with the aim of providing useful suggestions for a medical legal approach to TMD.