Pervasiveness of Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritic Changes and Their Correlation with Age and Gender: A Retrospective CBCT Study

Introduction: Age-related osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a chronic degenerative joint condition marked by subchondral bone remodeling, cartilage degradation, and synovitis. When diagnosing degenerative changes in the TMJ, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) ensures a shorter exposure time, a lower radiation dosage, and a superior spatial resolution.

Aim and Objectives: The present study aimed to determine Pervasiveness of Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritic Changes and their correlation with age and gender.

Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty CBCT images were collected from the department database and the condylar morphology and the degenerative changes were evaluated in the coronal and sagittal sections. The CBCT images which had changes were only included in the study. The left and right TMJ were evaluated separately.

Results: In our study, the prevalence of osteoarthritic changes of TMJ was higher in females than males. TMJ on the right side was more affected than the left side. Among the subjects, 40-49 years age group had extensive changes than other age groups, and severity increases in the older age group. The flattening was the most common change, followed by thinning, erosion, osteophyte, and sclerosis. The osteoarthritic changes of TMJ can occur within individuals across the population, and among genders, the prevalence is more in older individuals than the younger individuals, and females are mostly affected than males.

Conclusion: The study revealed that there is significant gender and age related variation in the osteoarthritic changes of TMJ. This study showed that the occurrence of degenerative changes is much higher in females and the prevalence increases with advancement of age and was also seen in younger age groups. The occurrence of osteoarthritic changes was also much prevalent among the population. A thorough examination of the TMJ is very important in diagnosing the osteoarthritic changes of TMJ as their prevalence is higher in older age groups and commonly seen in females than males. These osteoarthritic changes should be evaluated properly, diagnosed earlier, and treated for better prognosis of the patients.