Effects on jaw function shortly after whiplash trauma

Summary Normal jaw function involves muscles and joints of both jaw and neck. A whiplash trauma may disturb the integrated jaw‐neck sensory‐motor function and thereby impair chewing ability; however, it is not known if such impairment is present shortly after a neck trauma or develops over time. The aim was to evaluate jaw function after a recent whiplash trauma. Eighty cases (47 women) were examined within 1 month after a whiplash trauma and compared to 80 controls (47 women) without neck trauma. Participants completed the Jaw disability checklist (JDC) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaires and performed a 5‐minute chewing test. Elicited fatigue and pain during chewing were noted, and group differences were evaluated with Fisher's exact test and Mann‐Whitney U‐test. Compared to controls, cases had higher JDC (P