From Volume 40, Issue 10, December 2013 | Pages 846-848
Oromandibular dystonia is a neurological condition where the muscles of the mouth and jaw contract in involuntary spasms. Dystonia currently has no cure, but there are treatment options to manage symptoms. This case report describes the treatment of a 41-year-old male who presented at University of Glasgow Dental Hospital and School with established oromandibular dystonia. The use of removable appliances as a treatment option for this condition will be discussed.
Dental treatment of oromandibular dystonia has not been widely reported in dental literature to date. This report will outline a case of oromandibular dystonia that was treated within Glasgow Dental Hospital and School. We hope to describe this debilitating condition, its signs and the beneficial effect of removable appliances in this case.
Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder, affecting both children and adults, and its prevalence is reported to be 1 in 900. Dystonia can affect different parts of the body and is named accordingly, that affecting the oral region being described as oromandibular dystonia.
Dystonias may be classified according to the age of onset, or whether they are task specific. Focal (affecting one or two parts of the body) task specific dystonia affects one part of the body and only occurs during that performance or task.1 Typically, it affects the hands and may be related to a sporting activity or playing a musical instrument with the hands, or it can affect the oral musculature in wind or brass players. Adult-onset dystonia is usually focal, while early-onset dystonia often generalizes to affect multiple parts of the body.2
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