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The thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa in the temporomandibular joint: relationship to the MRI findings

Departments of ¹ Radiology,; ² Removable Partial Denture Prosthodontics,; ³ Crown and Bridge Prosthodontics, Nihon University School of Dentistry Tokyo, Japan; ⁴ Division of Advanced Dental Treatment, Dental Research Center, Nihon University School of Dentistry Tokyo, Japan

*Correspondence to: Kazuya Honda, DDS, PhD, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Department of Radiology, 1-8-13 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8310, Japan; Email: honda-k{at}dent.nihon-u.ac.jp

Received 1 June 2005; revised 9 November 2005; accepted 25 November 2005

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa (RGF) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders (TMDs).

Methods: Eighty-seven patients with symptoms and indications of TMD in one or both TMJs were referred for MRI. Cone-beam CT (3DX) was used to measure the thickness of the RGF at its thinnest point. Linear measurements were made three times on the monitor by three separate investigators and the mean values obtained were used for the statistical analyses.

Results: The joints were categorised as normal (70 joints), anterior disc displacement with reduction (ADWR; 53 joints) or anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADWOR; 51 joints). The joint disorders were also categorised into the following subgroups: with osteoarthritis (OA) (21 joints), without OA (153 joints), with disc deformation (33 joints), without disc deformation (141 joints), with joint effusion (JE) (61 joints) and without JE (113 joints). The average minimum thickness of the RGF was 0.85 mm for normal joints, 0.90 mm with ADWR, 0.93 mm with ADWOR, 0.99 mm with OA, 0.87 mm without OA, 0.87 mm with disc deformation and 0.89 mm without disc deformation. There was no significant difference between these figures. There was a significant difference in the thickness of the RGF with (0.97 mm) and without (0.84 mm) JE.

Conclusions: These results suggest that RGF thickness is influenced by JE, but is unaffected by disc position and configuration.

Keywords: TMD; MRI; roof of the glenoid fossa; cone beam CT