Journal of the American Dental Association, Vol 128, Issue 7, 999-1003
Copyright © 1997 by American Dental Association
Comparing prospective and retrospective evaluations of temporomandibular disorders after orthognathic surgery
BA Scott,
GM Clark,
JP Hatch,
J van Sickels,
and
JD Rugh
Department of Orthodontics, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio Dental School 78284-7910, USA.
The authors conducted a study to document agreement between prospective examinations performed by trained clinical trial examiners and retrospective surgical chart reviews in identifying signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, or TMD. Only a small fraction of the signs and symptoms identified by clinical trial examiners were documented in the surgical charts. Studies relying on retrospective chart reviews may seriously underestimate signs and symptoms of TMD.