Incidence of disc deformity and bone changes in patients with anterior disc displacement without reduction of the temporomandibular joint: Comparison among different age groups

Abstract

This study evaluated the relationship between age and incidence of disc deformity and bone changes in patients with anterior disc displacement without reduction of the temporomandibular joint. Two hundred and ninety eight joints of 215 patients, who had a normal dentofacial profile, were examined using magnetic resonance imaging with respect to disc deformity and bone changes. The incidence of these abnormalities was compared among different age groups. Pair matching was applied in order to match the sex ratio.
The incidence of disc deformity in the 30-39 years-old group (83.3%) and 40-49 years-old group (87.0%) were significantly higher than in the 10-19 years-old group (59.5%) and 20-29 years-old group (61.2%). The incidence of bone changes in 70-years-old group (70.8%) was significantly higher than in the 20-29 years-old group (42.9%).
The results indicate that the age is an independent factor for the incidence of disc deformity and bone changes in patients with closed lock.