The long-term effect of craniotomy on temporalis muscle function

Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate jaw movements and the masticatory muscle in patients who underwent craniotomy for treatment of cerebral aneurysm. Study design. Descriptive study. Results. There were 71 patients evaluated between 4 and 6 months after craniotomy, by means of a systematized approach. Their mean age was 45.3 years. Thirty- four (47.9%) patients complained of headache during dental evaluation. Twenty (28.2%) patients reported pain during normal jaw movements. There was a correlation between pain complaints and jaw movements during dental examinations (P =.03). Patients with postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness on palpation than those without post- craniotomy headache (P <.02). Jaw protrusion was worse than the reference values (P <.01). Conclusions. Headache was the complaint in 47.9% of the sample. Jaw movement was statistically a painprecipitating factor. Patients who suffered from postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness. There were functional jaw limitations.