Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Prevalence of temporomandibular joint sideways disc displacement in symptom-free volunteers and comparison of signal intensity ratios of masticator muscles on magnetic resonance images

Kaan Orhan, Ozlem Ucok, Cagri Delilbasi, Candan Paksoy, Necdet Dogan, Kemal Karakurumer, Tuncer Ozen

The objectives of this study were to figure out the prevalence of sideways disc displacement of the
temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in symptom-free volunteers and to compare signal intensity ratios
of masticator muscles in normal joints and in sideways disc displacements.
The study was based on bilateral Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) of 112 joints in 56 symptomfree
volunteers. Sideways displacements were identified as medial disc displacement (MDD) and lateral
disc displacement (LDD). The signal intensity ratios (SIR) of masticator muscles for both normal
joints and pure sideways displacements were measured with elliptic ROI on T1 and T2 weighted
MRIs.
Of the 112 TMJ images, one showed LDD and two showed MDD. The signal intensity ratios
increased for pterygoid lateral and temporal muscles in sideways disc displacements.
The results of this study suggest that the temporal muscle fibres are also inserting into the TMJ disc
like the pterygoid muscle. Therefore, sideways disc displacements have direct effect on pterygoid lateral
and temporal muscles.