Condyle position as a predictor of temporomandibular joint internal derangement.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The significance of the position of the mandibular condyle in the glenoid fossa remains a controversial subject. PURPOSE This study evaluated the relationship between condyle position and disk displacement. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-two asymptomatic volunteers and 130 symptomatic patients underwent linear tomography and bilateral temporomandibular joint magnetic resonance scans. RESULTS There was a higher prevalence of distal condyles in symptomatic patients with disk displacement compared with asymptomatic volunteers (P <.05). Distally positioned condyles identified joints with disk displacement with reduction, disk displacement without reduction, or a symptomatic normal joint with a sensitivity of 0.64, 0.56, and 0.33, respectively. Distally positioned condyles identified joints with disk displacement with reduction, disk displacement without reduction, or a symptomatic normal joint with a specificity of 0.56, 0.65, and 0.55, respectively. CONCLUSION There were more distal condyles in symptomatic subjects with disk displacement, but the reliability of a distal condyle to predict the presence or absence of disk displacement was low.

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