Ultrasonographic and Radiographic Evaluation of Osteoarthritic Changes in the Temporomandibular Joint

TL;DR

This study compares the effectiveness of ultrasonography and panoramic radiography against cone beam computed tomography in diagnosing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritic changes.

Contribution

The study evaluates diagnostic accuracy metrics of ultrasonography and panoramic radiography for TMJ osteoarthritic changes using CBCT as the gold standard.

Findings

Degenerative changes were detected in 94.4% of cases on panoramic radiography and 86.7% on ultrasonography.

Females showed a higher incidence of TMJ degenerative changes compared to males.

Flattening was the most common degenerative change observed in both genders.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study aims to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value by comparing ultrasonography and panoramic radiography with the gold standard cone beam computed tomography in the diagnosis of osteoarthritic changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and to determine the distribution of these degenerations in terms of age and gender. Methods: In the study, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), panoramic radiography, and ultrasonography (USG) images of 143 patients who applied to the Dentomaxillofacial Radiology Department of the Faculty of Dentistry of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University with complaints of TMJ were retrospectively examined. Results: As a result of the analysis, the average age of the patients included in the study was found to be 50.3 ± 14.4. The incidence of degenerative changes was higher in females than in males. The most common degenerative change in both genders was found to be flattening. Of the 143 patients’ degenerative changes detected on CBCT, 135 (94.4%) were detected on panoramic radiography and 124 (86.7%) were detected on USG. Conclusions: The sensitivity rates of ultrasound and panoramic radiography were found to be lower than those of CBCT in detecting degenerative changes.

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