PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Radiographic interpretation using high-resolution Cbct to diagnose degenerative temporomandibular joint disease

  • Jonas Bianchi,
  • João Roberto Gonçalves,
  • Antônio Carlos de Oliveira Ruellas,
  • Júlia Vieira Pastana Bianchi,
  • Lawrence M. Ashman,
  • Marilia Yatabe,
  • Erika Benavides,
  • Fabiana Naomi Soki,
  • Lucia Helena Soares Cevidanes

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 8

Abstract

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The objective of this study was to use high-resolution cone-beam computed images (hr- CBCT) to diagnose degenerative joint disease in asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects using the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders DC/TMD imaging criteria. This observational study comprised of 92 subjects age-sex matched and divided into two groups: clinical degenerative joint disease (c-DJD, n = 46) and asymptomatic control group (n = 46). Clinical assessment of the DJD and high-resolution CBCT images (isotropic voxel size of 0.08mm) of the temporomandibular joints were performed for each participant. An American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology certified radiologist and a maxillofacial radiologist used the DC/TMD imaging criteria to evaluate the radiographic findings, followed by a consensus of the radiographic evaluation. The two radiologists presented a high agreement (Cohen’s Kappa ranging from 0.80 to 0.87) for all radiographic findings (osteophyte, erosion, cysts, flattening, and sclerosis). Five patients from the c- DJD group did not present radiographic findings, being then classified as arthralgia. In the asymptomatic control group, 82.6% of the patients presented radiographic findings determinant of DJD and were then classified as osteoarthrosis or overdiagnosis. In conclusion, our results showed a high number of radiographic findings in the asymptomatic control group, and for this reason, we suggest that there is a need for additional imaging criteria to classify DJD properly in hr-CBCT images.