Objective
The aim of this study was to systematically review the scientific efficacy of infrared
thermography (IT) on the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs).
Study Design
An electronic search was performed in 8 databases for publications up to May 2018.
Additionally, a hand search of the reference lists was conducted. There were no restrictions
on language or on year of publication. Two independent reviewers selected the studies,
reviewed the abstract information, and assessed the quality. The methodology of the
included articles was evaluated by using the QUADAS-2 tool.
Results
Nine studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic
review. Four studies concluded that IT presents low accuracy or is not an accurate
instrument for TMD diagnosis, but there was substantial variation in sensitivity,
specificity, and receiver operating characteristic curve values. Five studies concluded
that IT appears to be promising or may be a complementary diagnostic aid in the evaluation
of TMDs. These studies presented sensitivity values ranging from 70% to 90% and specificity
values ranging from 62% to 92%. All studies were judged as being “at risk of bias”
and as having “concerns regarding applicability.”
Conclusions
The literature is still lacking in sufficient number of studies regarding the reliability
of IT for the diagnosis of TMDs.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 25, 2018
Accepted:
September 10,
2018
Received in revised form:
August 30,
2018
Received:
January 17,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
