The Parkinson Resource Organization has been posting an article online titled:  ‘TMJ Dysfunction, An Ounce of Prevention’.  In the text the author, Dr David Wooten makes many claims regarding the relationship between TMJ Dysfunction and Neural Dysfunction. For example, he states that a Dr Casey Gusay has ‘determined’ that “the muscle controlled “pivotal axis” of the lower jaw occurred at the dens between C1 (the atlas or first cervical vertebrae) and C2 (the axis or second cervical vertebrae). Therefore, TMJ dysfunction and dental malocclusion causes a disturbing posturing of C1 and C2” and that this connection ‘torques’ the dura mater that is attached to C1 and C2.  He goes on to state that because of the connection of a ‘torquing’ of this connective tissue can lead to a number of problems including “scoliosis, cervical hypolordosis (military neck), thoracic  hyperkyphosis (hump back), excessive lumbar lordosis (sway back), rotation of the pelvis resulting in uneven leg length, uneven shoulder height and quite possibly head tilt”.

Now as a dentist I do not know if these statements are evidence based, but it is the following statement that is clearly NOT evidence based and speculative:  “Adding yet more complexity to the TMJ is the fact that 92% of all the nerves that enter and exit the skull come in direct contact with either the sphenoid bone or the temporal bones, which coincidentally happen to be the two bones that are most influenced by the position of the jaws. If those bones are in a strained position due to jaw position, some of those nerves could be irritated and/or stimulated causing symptoms that would not seem directly related to the TMJ. That is exactly what happens”.

While the author does not say so explicitly he does suggest a relationship to Parkinson’s and other neurologic disorders by stating that “Almost a half-century ago, two scientists named Penfield and Rasmussen, demonstrated that almost half of both sensory and motor aspects of the brain are devoted to the “dental area” or what I would call our gnathologic system. So, approximately half of the programming of our computer-brain that runs the body, comes from the gnathologic system……. If there are malalignments in the gnathologic system, the impulse patterns will transmit stressful messages, inevitably to all parts of the body. Clearing up those pathological impulses through the correction of jaw position and malocclusion offers the possibility of elimination of many chronic and seemingly unrelated medical conditions”.

This commentary is not only anatomically and physiologically incorrect but the implication that malocclusion is associated with neurologic disease such as Parkinsons is completely unsupported by science to date.  It is, quite frankly, patently false.  This fact should be appreciated by dentists who are treating patients with Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases.  Such bad information should not be passed on to patients.