Understanding of Tempormandibular joint osteoarthritis: pathophysiology, epidemiology and diagnosis

Abstract

Temporomandibular joint Osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is a subtype of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) andrefers to a debilitating degenerative disorder involving inflammatory conditions accompanying bone changes of the TMJ. Once the physical load exceeds physiologic resistance of TMJ, gradual damage to the cartilage layer occurs and leads to bone destruction with various signs and symptoms related to the defect of adjacent tissues.TMJ OA is a relatively common phenomenon, not only in patients complaining of TMJ symptoms, but also found incidentally through radiographs taken for any other dental treatments. TMJ OA is known to be more common in women and related to age closely, but the results of the studies are inconsistent.Deformity of the TMJ condyle due to OA can be easily confirmed with radiography and diagnosis is becom-ing more effective with the development of imaging modalities such as computed tomography. Also, as osseous changes of TMJ OA cause dysfunction of TMJ due to pain and/or restriction of motion and eventually can lead to irreversible changes in occlusion and facial morphology, accurate and in-depth understanding based on sci-entific evidence is essential for dentists. Therefore, this review on the basis of the documents published so far will describe the pathophysiologic mechanisms, epidemiology and diagnosis of TMJ OA.