Prevalence of Radiographic Changes of Temporomandibular Joint Condyle in Patients with Skeletal Class II and III

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are abnormalities that interfere with the shape or normal functioning of the joint, characterized by a group of clinical symptoms including pain, joint sounds, and limitation or deviation when opening the mouth. Considering the effect of skeletal relationships of the jaw on the shape, size, and morphologic variations of the condyle and its changes in TMJ, current study aimed at investigating radiographic changes in TMJ in patients with skeletal class II and III in Sari, Iran 2015-2018.

In a retrospective cross-sectional study, 249 angle class II and 66 class III subjects were studied. After determining the skeletal relationship class using cephalometric radiographs, TMJ bone changes were investigated in panoramic images. Data analysis was done applying Chi square, T test, and logistic regression in SPSS V16.

There was a significant difference in flattening distribution between class II and III subjects in patients aged 26-30 years old (P=0.036) and the prevalence of this disorder was higher in patients with skeletal class III. There were no significant differences between patients with skeletal class II and III in the prevalence of flattening, erosion, hypoplasia, and hyperplasia. TMJ disorders were significantly more frequent in females (P=0.035).
Conclusion In this study, the most and least frequent disorders were erosion after flattening and hyperplasia, respectively.