Is infrared thermography effective in the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders? A systematic review

Publication date: Available online 26 September 2018

Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology

Author(s): Daniela Pita de Melo, Patrícia Meira Bento, Larissa Rangel Peixoto, Sheyla Kátia Lúcio Dornelas Martins, Carolina Castro Martins

Abstract

Objective

The aim was to systematically review the scientific efficacy of infrared thermography (IT) on the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD).

Study Design

An electronic search was performed in eight databases up to May 2018. Additionally, a hand search of the reference lists was conducted. There were no restrictions on language or on year of publication. Two independent reviewers selected studies, reviewed the abstract information, and assessed the quality. The methodology of the included articles was evaluated using the QUADAS-2 tool.

Results

Nine studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Four studies concluded that IT presents low accuracy or is not an accurate instrument for TMD diagnosis but there was substantial variation in sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curve values. Five studies concluded that IT appears to be promising or may be a complementary diagnostic aid in the evaluation of TMD. These studies presented sensitivity values ranging from 70% to 90% and specificity values ranging from 62% to 92%. All studies were judged as "at risk of bias" and as having "concerns regarding applicability".

Conclusion

The literature is still scarce regarding the reliability of IT for the diagnosis of TMD.

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