Abstract
The present study was undertaken to confirm the clinical value of arthrography of the temporomandibular joint, which is currently gaining acceptance as a diagnostic tool in the field of joint pathosis. Arthrographic findings, obtained from 118 joints in 89 patients with temporomandibular joint symptoms and classified according to the criteria of Sugisaki et al., were compared with the clinical findings in each individual, with reference to the extent of maximum mouth opening, chin deviation and pain in the joint on opening and closing, together with joint noises involving reciprocal clicking and non-reciprocal clicks and crepitation. It was found that, although moderate interdependence existed between clinical symptoms and arthrographic findings, no single clinical sign or any combination of signs necessarily denoted any specific arthrographic finding. This was especially true in patients suffering from joint noises and disturbed joint movements. This result would seem to justify the need for arthrography of the temporomandibular joint to make a confirmatory diagnosis of pathological changes in the joint, since the subsequent treatment may very in accordance with the detected pathosis.
