Correlation between hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit values in patients with temporomandibular joint ankylosis and nonankylosed patients

Background: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis causes distortion of the anatomy of the upper airway resulting in some form of airway obstruction. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between TMJ ankylosis and hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. Settings and Design: This was a prospective comparative study of all consecutive patients with TMJ ankylosis who presented to the Oral and Maxillofacial Unit of the Teaching Hospital from January 2010 to December 2012. Materials and Methods: Information obtained included age, gender, types of ankylosis, etiology, duration of ankylosis as well as the hemoglobin and hematocrit values which were compared with age- and sex-matched nonankylosed patients. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Twenty patients aged 10–35 years (mean 20.8 ± 5.53) comprising 55.0% males and 45.0% females participated in the study. Bony ankylosis was the most common presentation (75.0%) while trauma (55.0%) was the most common etiologic factor. The mean duration of ankylosis was 9.05 ± 5.43. The mean hemoglobin concentration was 13.49 ± 1.67 and the mean hematocrit was 39.35 ± 5.63. There was a positive correlation between the duration of ankylosis and the hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.471, df = 17, P= 0.042) as well as the hematocrit values (r = 0.457, df = 17, P= 0.049). Both hematological parameters were found to be significantly higher than the values in the nonankylosed patients with a mean difference of 1.57 g/dl (P = 0.001) and 6.28% (P = 0.0001) for hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit values, respectively. Conclusion: Patients with TMJ ankylosis have higher values of hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit values than the nonankylosed individuals and these findings can be explored for the clinical benefit of patients.