A Comparison of Temporomandibular Joint Sounds with the Sounds from Other Joints of the Body

Recorded sounds emanating from temporomandibular joints were transferred to a transient recorder and displayed on an oscilloscope. Frequencies of the various sounds were obtained by measurement of hard copies of the wave patterns. These were related to the clinical classification, i.e., hard click, soft click, crepitus. The frequency of other sounds similarly obtained from either manipulated or nonmanipulated joints other than the temporomandibular joint were also obtained. The frequency data obtained from all sounds were compared following a one way analysis of variance. Hard temporomandibular joint clicks were not significantly different from manipulated metacarpophalangeal joints, while soft temporomandibular joint clicks were not significantly different from manipulated cervical joints.