Craniomandibular disorders in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. A clinical study.

Sixty-one subjects with rheumatoid arthritis, 61 with psoriatic arthritis, 61 with ankylosing spondylitis, and 61 healthy controls were examined with regard to subjective symptoms and clinical signs of craniomandibular disorders (CMD). The frequencies of most subjective and clinical variables were higher in all three disease groups than in the control group. Subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis showed more frequent and severe signs and symptoms than subjects with ankylosing spondylitis. It is concluded that subjective symptoms and clinical signs of CMD are common in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis and are mainly caused by the respective general joint disease. None of the signs and symptoms is pathognomonic for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis.