Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis: cone beam computed tomography findings, clinical features, and correlations

Modern dentistry commonly uses a variety of imaging methods to support diagnosis and treatment. Among them, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is particularly useful in presenting head structures, such as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The determination of the morphology of the joint is an important part of the diagnosis as well as the monitoring of the treatment results. It can be accomplished by measurement of the TMJ gap width at three selected places, taken at a specific cross-section. This study presents a new approach to these measurements. First, the CBCT images are denoised using curvilinear methods, and the volume of interest is determined. Then, the orientation of the vertical cross-section plane is computed based on segmented axial sections of the TMJ head. Finally, the cross-section plane is used to determine the standardized locations, at which the width of the gap between condyle and fossa is measured. The elaborated method was tested on selected TMJ CBCT scans with satisfactory results. The proposed solution lays the basis for the development of an autonomous method of TMJ index identification.

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Temporomandibular Joint Osseous Morphology of Class I and Class II Malocclusions in the Normal Skeletal Pattern: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11030541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 541

Author(s):

Xiao-Chuan Fan ◽

Lin-Sha Ma ◽

Li Chen ◽

Diwakar Singh ◽

Xiaohui Rausch-Fan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Temporomandibular Joint ◽

Cone Beam Computed Tomography ◽

Class Ii ◽

Class I ◽

Cone Beam ◽

Glenoid Fossa ◽

Linear Measurements ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Skeletal Pattern

(1) Background—The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osseous morphology of normal skeletal pattern individuals with different dental malocclusions by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). (2) Methods—The CBCT images of bilateral TMJs in 67 subjects with skeletal class I and average mandibular angle (26 males and 41 females, age range 20–49 years) were evaluated in this study. The subjects were divided into class I, class II division 1, and class II division 2 according to the molar relationship and retroclination of the maxillary incisors. Angular and linear measurements of TMJ were evaluated and the differences between the groups were statistically analyzed. (3) Results—Intragroup comparisons showed statistical differences for articular eminence inclination, the width of the glenoid fossa, the ratio of the width of the glenoid fossa to the depth of the glenoid fossa, the condylar angle, and the intercondylar angle between the malocclusion groups. The measurements of the glenoid fossa shape showed no significant difference between the left and right sides. Females showed more differences in the morphological parameters of TMJ between the three malocclusion groups than the males. (4) Conclusion—The present study revealed differences in the TMJ osseous morphology between dental class I and class II malocclusions in the normal skeletal pattern.

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