Signs and symptoms of TMD patients associated with magnetic resonance imaging findings

Clinical survey for the last 4 years

Abstract

The relationship between temporomandibular symptoms at initial visit and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was investigated.
Subjects were 117 patients diagnosed as having temporomandibular disorder to be examined by MRI in the TMJ region for the four-year period from January 1999 to December 2002 in the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics, Iwate Medical University Dental Hospital.
Partial disagreement was found between the symptomatic side and disc dislocation side of TMJ from the results of MRI and the clinical examination.
The mouth opening range in the bilateral disc displacement with reduction group was 43.4mm on average, showing a significantly wider range than the bilateral disc displacement without reduction group (27.0mm; p<0.01, Scheffe's F test) and unilateral disc displacement without reduction group (36.9mm; p<0.05, Scheffe's F test).
These results suggest that limitation on mouth opening can be caused by restriction of condylar translation and/or possible pain generated by compressing retrodiscal tissue due to disc displacement without reduction.