Magnetic resonance imaging of temporomandibular joint dysfunction-correlation with clinical symptoms, age, and gender.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the morphological (magnetic resonance imaging) MRI manifestations correlate with the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction according to gender and age of the patients. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and forty-four subjects with TMJ dysfunction underwent a MRI of both TMJ to establish the presence of disk displacement, osteoarthritis, and effusion. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were preformed. For the comparison of mean values between samples, we used T-test. RESULTS: A significant relationship between symptoms and morphological manifestations was found. In the group without reduction there were significant increases in the risk of experiencing symptoms (P = .002). Significant correlation between age and osteoarthritis (P = .001) and age and effusion (P = .022) was found. There was no correlation between gender and morphological manifestations. CONCLUSION: MRI morphological manifestations of the TMJ correlate with the presence of symptoms, therefore MRI has a crucial role in the diagnosis of TMJ dysfunction.