Objective: When treating patients with defects in the jaw area, you often find yourself confronted with the phenomenon that despite of considerable defects and resulting malfunctions, these patients only rarely complain about craniomandibular discomfort resulting from dysfunction.

Methods: 26 prosthetically rehabilitated patients with partial resection of the upper and / or lower jaw with segmental mandibulectomy with / or without reconstruction were examined. The AFDT-functional status form was filled in according to conventional rules. Then the pain thereshold values were determined by means of a pressure algometer at certain predetermined points. The values obtained were then correlated with the individual pain thereshold values which were determined in the same way. The maximum voluntary bite force and the psychological disposition according to the OHIP questionnaire served as further correlations.

Results: With all patients no or only a minor increase of pain sensation could be measured in the area of the palpated temporomandibular joints or the masticatory muscules independent from the localization of the defects. The maximum voluntary bite force was half as high in the area of the resected jaw as in intact jaw sections. The psychological disposition of the patients according to the OHIP clearly pointed out repression mechanisms (coping effects).

Conclusions: Subjectively, patients with defects in the jaw area show only a low-grade craniomandibular dysfunction discomfort despite of partially considerable malfunctions. This can presumably be traced back to the reduced maximum voluntary bite force in the resected jaw area as well as to the reduced efforts during bruxism activities and the psychological disposition (coping effects) of these patients.

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