Condylar erosion is predictive of painful closed lock of the temporomandibular joint: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

backgroundTo assess whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of condylar erosion (CE) are predictive of a specific clinical diagnosis of painful closed lock of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and to determine the strength of association between CE and types of internal derangement (ID).

methodsBased upon sample size estimation, this retrospective paired-design study involved 62 patients, aged between 18 and 67 years. Inclusion criteria were the presence of a unilateral clinical diagnosis of arthralgia coexisting with disk displacement without reduction ('AR and DDwoR/wLO'), assigned according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis I, and the absence of signs and symptoms of TMJ pain and dysfunction on the contralateral TMJ side. Bilateral sagittal and coronal MR images were obtained to establish the prevalence of CE and TMJ ID types of disk displacement with (DDR) and without reduction (DDNR). Logistic regression analysis was used to compute odds ratios for CE and ID types. Confounding variables adjusted for were age, sex, time since pain onset, pain intensity, and type of ID.

resultsIn the regression analysis, the MRI items of DDR (p = 0.533) and DDNR (p = 0.204) dropped out as nonsignificant in the diagnostic clinical 'AR and DDwoR/wLO' group. Significant increases in the risk of 'AR and DDwoR' occurred with CE (3.1:1 odds ratio; p = 0.026). The presence of CE was significantly related to DDNR (adjusted OR = 43.9; p <  0.001).

conclusionsThe data suggest CE as a dominant factor in the definition of painful closed lock of the TMJ, support the view that joint locking needs to be considered as a frequent symptom of osteoarthritis, and emphasize a strong association between the MRI items of CE and DDNR.