Investigation of patients with temporomandibular joint disease treated for the first visit to our department in the two years before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic outbreak

<p>Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), a major cause of nondental pain in the orofacial region, including disorders of masticatory muscles and/or the temporomandibular joint.</p><p>We investigated the first visit of TMDs patients for two years before and during the outbreak of the coronavirus.</p><p>We also investigated gender ratio, age distribution, and number of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans every month.</p><p>Before the COVID‐19 pandemic, the number of patients was 608 (161 male: 26.5%, 447 female: 73.5%). The mean age was 45.7 years old (male: 43.4, female: 46.5).</p><p>Under, the total number of first visit patients was 521 (134 male: 25.7%, 387 female: 74.3%). The mean age was 42.7 years old (male: 34.1, female: 43.9).</p><p>The total number of MRI scans taken before the COVID‐19 pandemic was 369/608 (60.7%), and under 331/521 (63.5%).</p><p>Before the COVID‐19 pandemic, the total number of CT scans taken was 77/608 (12.7%) and under 86/521 (16.5%).</p><p>In 2020, The number of young patients around 20 years of age of who were seen for the first visit was increasing. On the other hand, the number of female patients in their 50s was decreasing.</p><p>The novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has had a major impact on our department. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2024; 58: 371-375)</p>