Changes in head and neck posture may affect the function of the jaw and masticatory muscles, as well as the range of motion of the neck and the activity of the cervical muscles in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. This systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was carried out using the advanced features of PubMed, ResearchGate, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. “Cervical spine”, “temporomandibular joint”, and “pain” are the keywords that were used in the search strategy.
A total of 273 articles were included in the title and abstract screening. After the eligibility process, 52 records were obtained, and the full texts of the related studies were read. Finally, a total of 6 articles fulfilled all necessary inclusion criteria in this systematic review. A total of 417 patients were potential participants in TMD-related clinical trials, of which 302 patients were included in intervention groups. Decreased side flexion, increased TMD-related pain intensity, a higher number of active trigger points in masticatory and cervical muscles, and reduced C0-C1 distance were found to significantly impact TMJ-related cervical abnormalities.
