Does the horizontal condylar angle have a relationship to temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis and condylar position? A cone-beam computed tomography study.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the horizontal condylar angle (HCA), temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA), and condylar position on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Based on TMJ OA, joints were classified as affected and the unaffected. According to the OA condition of their joints, three groups of patients were formed: control group (n = 159, 41.1%), unilateral group (n = 121, 31.3%), and bilateral group (n = 107, 27.6%). In total, the HCAs of 774 TMJs of 387 patients were measured and their condylar positions were determined as concentric (n = 184, 23.8%), posterior (n = 338, 43.7%), and anterior (n = 252, 32.5%). The mean HCA of the bilateral group (22.7 ± 7.6°) was greater than those in both the control (19.5 ± 6.4°) and the unilateral (20.5 ± 6.5°) groups (p < 0.05). However, the difference was not statistically significant between the control and unilateral group (p > 0.05). In total patients, unlike the unilateral group, the affected joints had a greater mean HCA than the unaffected joints (p < 0.05). The mean HCAs of the joints according to the condylar position were as concentric: 20.6 ± 6.7°, posterior: 21.1 ± 7.8°, and anterior: 20.2 ± 7.9° (p > 0.05). While the HCA increased in the presence of TMJ OA, no relationship was found between HCA and three different condylar positions.