Abstract
We investigated the association between the direction of disc displacement and intermittent lock in the temporomandibular joints.
The subjects were 26 patients (26 joints) with intermittent lock, who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As the control group, we randomly selected 26 patients (26 joints) without intermittent lock. The group with intermittent lock consisted of 20 females and 6 males, with a median age of 18 years (range: 14 to 80 years). The group without intermittent lock consisted of 22 females and 4 males, with a median age of 22 years (range: 14 to 71 years).
Imaging of sagittal and coronary sections was performed using a 1.5 Tesla superconducting MRI device, and the direction of disc displacement was investigated.
In the group with intermittent lock, the incidence of lateral displacement of the disc was significantly higher than that in the group without intermittent lock.
