Diagnostic Tests for Jaw swelling

Diagnostic Test list for Jaw swelling:

The list of diagnostic tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Jaw swelling includes:

• Physical examination
  • Look just in front of the ear for swelling of the jaw joint (may indicate swelling of the temporomandibular joint)
  • Feel the joint by placing a finger just in front of the ear while the person opens and shuts their mouth
  • Clicking and grating may be felt and may be associated with tenderness if the temporomandibular joint is involved in an inflammatory arthritis such as Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Check for pain and limitation of jaw movements ( especially opening the mouth), tenderness of the jaw joint and grating noise with moving the joint which suggests temporomandibular joint dysfunction
  • Thorough examination of the teeth and gums may disclose dental caries, gingivitis, oral tumor or alveolar abscess. These conditions may refer pain and cause swelling to the jaw
  • Examine for enlargement of the parotid gland by feeling just in front of the ear. Enlarged parotid gland may give the impression of jaw swelling and may be caused by parotid gland tumor, mumps, sarcoidosis, lymphoma, alcohol-associated parotitis, malnutrition, severe dehydration and salivary stone causing blockage to the salivary duct
• Blood tests
  • Full blood count and ESR
  • Rheumatoid factor
  • Raised Immunoglobulin levels and presence of certain autoantibodies may suggest diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome - e.g. Rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies, antimitochondrial antibodies, Anti-Ro (SSA) antibodies.
• Radiological examinations
  • X-ray of the teeth
  • X-Ray of the jaw bones (mandible and maxilla)
  • X-Ray of temporomandibular joint
  • MRI of temporomandibular joint (procedure of choice to rule out pathology of this joint)

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