Topics on this page:
	Craniomandibular System (CMS)
	Craniomandibular Dysfunction (CMD)
	CMD - Medicine
	CMD - Symtomes
	Axiography
	EMG (Electromyography)

Craniomandibular System (CMS)

All organs in the head-shoulder region are strongly interconnected via muscles and nerves. It is called the Craniomandibular System (CMS)

Organs in the head-shoulder region:

• Alveolar organ, Parodontium ( sensors)
• Masticatory organ ( teeth, mandibular joints, chewing muscles)
• Organs of swallowing ( swallowing muscles)
• Organ of speech ( speech muscles)
• Mimic- and contact organs ( mimic muscles)
• Hearing organ ( ears)
• Organ of sight (eyes)
• Olfactory organ ( nose)
• Centralnervous organ ( brain, impulse network via sensors and nerves)

Craniomandibular Dysfunction (CMD)

CMD is a systemic disease of the muscles and nerves of the head-shoulder region. It is mainly caused by malpositioned teeth and an incorrect bite.

CMD - Medicine

CMD – Medicine is the science of the functional connections of the organs in the head-shoulder region. Disorders of these functional connections, the so-called dysfunction, can give way to various forms of pain.

The aim of every therapy is to treat the cause of a disease and not the symptoms.

CMD - Symtomes

Do you suffer from one or more of the listed symtoms and have specific or organic causes been excluded? Then you may suffer from the so-called Craniomandibular Dysfunktion – CMD, named “Costen Sydrome”; Costen was the first to diagnose the disease.

• Reoccuring headaches in the temples region or
• Reoccuring headaches in the area of forehead and eyes or
• Reoccuring headaches in the back of the head, possibly extending to the shoulders?
• Pain in the mandibular jaws
• "Full ears"
• Clicking of the mandibular jaws
• Tinnitus
• Pressure on the eyes, sensitivity to light
• Pain in the neck, shoulder and back/ tensions
• Trigeminus pain
• Dizzy spells
• Loss of concentration
• "Migraine"

Further Information

Axiography

Pict.: 1 - Axiography (Photo: zebris Medical GmbH)

In cases with severe jaw symtoms associated with malpositioned teeth axiography is needed for treatment design, documentation, progress, evaluation and quality management.

A specific diagnosis can be made by recording the movement of the lower jaw.This is done while recording the movement with ultrasound in a short period of time.

Starting point is the so called face bow (Pict. 1) which is mounted easily on the head. Related to the face bow is a fork on the lower arch attached to the outside side of the lower teeth.

Ultrasonic sensors record the data of all the movements of the lower jaw. Using the differential patterns of movements conclusions of possible functional disorders can be made

EMG (Electromyography)

Pict.: 2 - EMG (Electromyography) (Photo: zebris Medical GmbH)

The movement of the lower jaw is performed by the chewing muscles. The function of these muscles can be recorded using EMG (Pict.: 2).

EMG is an illustration of the deduction of bioelectrical signals from the muscles.

Functional disorders of the muscles present symptomatic changes in the recording, referring to resting position, capability to contract ( capability to function) and exhaustibility.