BACKGROUND

In terms of diagnostic and therapeutic management, clinicians should adequately address the frequent aspects of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) associated with disk displacement. Condylar erosion (CE) is considered an inflammatory subset of OA and is regarded as a sign of progressive OA changes potentially contributing to changes in dentofacial morphology or limited mandibular growth. The purpose of this study was to establish a risk prediction model of CE by a multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict the individual risk of CE in TMJ arthralgia. It was hypothesized that there was a closer association between CE and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicators.

METHODS

This retrospective paired-design study enrolled 124 consecutive TMJ pain patients and analyzed the clinical and TMJ-related MRI data in predicting CE. TMJ pain patients were categorized according to the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis I protocol. Each patient underwent MRI examination of both TMJs, 1-7 days following clinical examination.

RESULTS

In the univariate analysis analyses, 9 influencing factors were related to CE, of which the following 4 as predictors determined the binary multivariate logistic regression model: missing posterior teeth (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42; P = 0.018), RDC/TMD of arthralgia coexistant with disk displacement without reduction with limited opening (DDwoR/wLO) (OR = 3.30, P = 0.007), MRI finding of disk displacement without reduction (OR = 10.96, P < 0.001), and MRI finding of bone marrow edema (OR = 11.97, P < 0.001). The model had statistical significance (chi-square = 148.239, Nagelkerke R square = 0.612, P < 0.001). Out of the TMJs, 83.9% were correctly predicted to be CE cases or Non-CE cases with a sensitivity of 81.4% and a specificity of 85.2%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.916.

CONCLUSION

The established prediction model using the risk factors of TMJ arthralgia may be useful for predicting the risk of CE. The data suggest MRI indicators as dominant factors in the definition of CE. Further research is needed to improve the model, and confirm the validity and reliability of the model.