Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to clarify which findingsin magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are good predicators of pain and mouth opening limitation in patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement (ID).Materials and Methods: Clinical examinations for pain and mouth opening limitation were conducted for suspected TMJ ID. MRI scans were taken within a week of clinical examinations. On the oblique-sagittal plane image, readings were obtained in terms of the functional aspect of disc position, degree of displacement, disc deformity, joint effusion, and osteoarthrosis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the predic-tors of pain and mouth opening limitation. Results: A total of 48 patients (96 TMJs) were studied, including 39 female patients and 9 male patients whose ages ranged from 10 to 65 years. The resultant data showed significantcorrelations between pain and the MR imaging of the degree of disc displacement (P<0.05). The probability of there being pain in moderate to significantcases was 9.69 times higher than in normal cases. No significantcorrelation was found between mouth opening limitation and MRI findingsConclusion: We identifieda significantcorrelation between clinical symptoms and MRI findingsof ID. The degree of anterior disc displacement may be useful for predicting pain in patients with TMJ ID.