Impact of Posterior Teeth Loss on The Development of Temporomandibular Joint Disk Displacement with Reduction

Abstract

Temporomandibular joint displacement is an alteration in the attachment of the articular disc to the condyle lead to an abnormal relationship between the articular disc, the mandibular condyle and the mandibular fossa. Disc displacement with reduction considered one of the most common intra-articular disorders of the temporomandibular joint. It is characterized by the gradual displacement of the articular disc against the articular eminence and the mandibular condyle; it may also cause pain, clicking or crepitus sounds, and, in rare cases, a limitation in mandibular movement. The aim of study: To determine the impact of posterior teeth loss on the development of temporomandibular joint disk displacement with reduction. Materials and Method: The study included one hundred patients of both genders aged between 25-45 years. Half of them had normal posterior teeth in both jaws and the other half had no posterior teeth in one jaw or both for at least one year ago. The study included a one-year follow-up of those patients in terms of the presence of disk displacement with reduction. Results: The statistical analysis found a significant difference between the loss of posterior teeth and development of disk displacement with reduction; The Fisher exact test = 0.014 at p < 0.05. Conclusion: Long term loss of posterior teeth (loss of posterior occlusion) increase the possibility of the development of temporomandibular joint disk displacement with reduction.

Keywords: Posterior teeth, TMJ, Disk, Displacement, Reduction