The relationship between condylar guidance and temporomandibular joint clicking.

The association between condylar inclination and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) clicking was tested by measuring the angles of condylar guidance in the sagittal plane during opening and closing movements in 12 subjects with temporomandibular joint clicks and 16 subjects without TMJ clicks. Each subject had tracings made by using a customized functional clutch. All subjects had full dentition and were without symptomatic mandibular dysfunction. Condylar inclinations were measured in parasagittal tracing planes. The travel path of the hinge axis of the condyle's movements was recorded, directly formed, and compared with a four-component axiograph recording that used the axis-orbital plane as a reference for the subjects. The measurements of angles along several distances (millimeters) of condylar guidance from the axis-orbital plane were obtained and evaluated. The measurements were made in the sagittal plane and through opening-closing movements starting from the actual occlusal vertical dimension of each subject. The results do not support the hypothesis that mean angles of the condylar guidance are significantly different in the group with TMJ clicking compared with the group without TMJ clicking.