Frontal tomography of articulating temporomandibular joint surfaces.

A variety of radiographic techniques to overcome the limitations imposed by the complex and dense bony anatomy of the TMJ area have been developed and reported over the years. Body section tomography can produce images of the internal hard tissues of the joint with much less interference from superimposing structures. Multiple lateral tomographs of the joint can provide useful diagnostic radiographic coverage, but the many exposures require relatively large accumulated radiation exposure. Frontal TMJ tomography offers one alternative, visualizing the entire anterosuperior surface of the condyle from medial to lateral pole on one film. Existing frontal tomographic methods provide a view of the superior surface, but not of the important anterior articulating surfaces. This project has developed and tested a technique for angulating frontal tomographs of the temporomandibular joint on two axes to visualize the articulating anterosuperior surface of the condyle and posterior slope of the articular eminence.