Styloid Process Elongation with Temporomandibular Disorders: Clinical and Radiographic Aspects

Abstract

Introduction: The clinical symptoms of Eagle’s syndrome are similar to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Misdiagnosis hinders in the treatment success since TMD is treated with conservative therapy and Eagle’s syndrome by surgical excision. Aim: To study the association between the intensity of the TMD symptoms and styloid process elongation by analysing the length of the styloid process from measurements obtained from panoramic radiographs. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 15 patients, aged 20-65 years, who visited Oral Medicine and Radiology department, in a dental school in Kerala, South India during a three-month period, presenting with TMD symptoms and orofacial pain for more than three months. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to score pain. Results: Elongation of the styloid process was found in 53.3% of the patients. Significant statistical association was found between the elongation of the styloid and VAS (p=0.010). Conclusion: According to our study, there is a significant association between the length of the styloid process and intensity of TMD symptom, which can help in the proper diagnosis of TMD disorders.