Smriti Jagdhari Golhar*
Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, VSPM’S Dental College & Research Center, India
*Corresponding author: Smriti Jagdhari Golhar, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, VSPM’S Dental College & Research Center, C/O Dr. Anil Golhar, 256 Ramdaspeth, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Submission: December 14, 2019;Published: January 28 2020;
ISSN:2637-7764Volume4 Issue5
MPDS are one of the main sources of chronic orofacial pain interfering with daily activities. These disorders also are commonly associated with other symptoms affecting the head and neck region, such as headache, ear-related symptoms, cervical spine dysfunction and altered head and cervical posture.
Keywords:Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome (MPDS); Cervical pain; Craniocervical posture
Abbreviations: MPDS: Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome; TMD: Temporomandibular Disorders
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) consist of a group of pathologies affecting the
masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint, and related structures. MPDS constitute
a major public health problem, as they are one of the main sources of chronic orofacial pain
interfering with daily activities. These disorders also are commonly associated with other
symptoms affecting the head and neck region, such as headache, ear-related symptoms,
cervical spine dysfunction, and altered cervical posture [1-4]. There is a documentation of
interconnection between neuroanatomy and neurophysiology and its effects on orofacial
area. It is noted that change in craniocervical junction can alter the occlusion patterns and
jaw position. It is also noted that the masticatory system can influence the position of the
craniocervical junction. Thus, myofascial dysfunction may lead to compensatory changes in
the craniocervical posture and develop the neck pain.
Nicolakis et al. [5] stated in his several studies that it is postulated that posture of cervical
spine and electromyographic activity of the masseter and temporalis muscles is interrelated.
Shrinivas et al. [6] found 50% MPDS patients suffering from craniocervical dysfunction in his
study. According to him, MPDS in TMJ region can be caused by craniocervical dysfunction and
alternatively crániocervical dysfunction can be caused by MPDS in TMJ region. Study done by
Okade et al. [7] showed that cervical dysfunction may be one of the extrinsic etiologic factors for
MPDS. Another study was undertaken with the objective of therapeutic evaluation of cervical
dysfunction in MPDS showed cervical pain showed significant improvement to physiotherapy
given for MPDS patients [2]. Therefore, it is proven that there is a positive correlation between
MPDS and cervical (neck) pain. Dentist as well as orthopaedic surgeon should be aware of this
association for interdisciplinary approach towards patient management.
© 2020 Smriti Jagdhari Golhar. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.