Osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint

Last revised by Henry Knipe ◉ ◈ on 15 Jun 2018

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Gaillard F, Knipe H, Glick Y, et al. Osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 31 May 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5524

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5524

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/5524

rID:

5524

Article created:

30 Jan 2009, Frank Gaillard ◉ ◈

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.

View Frank Gaillard's current disclosures

Last revised:

15 Jun 2018, Henry Knipe ◉ ◈

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.

View Henry Knipe's current disclosures

Revisions:

14 times, by 6 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Head & Neck

Tags:

refs, jaw

Synonyms:

Osteoarthritis of the TMJ
TMJ OA
OA TMJ
Osteoarthrosis of the TMJ
TMJ degenerative joint disease
TMJ osteoarthritis
Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis
Temporomandibular joint osteoarthrosis
TMJ osteoarthrosis

Osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the end point of long-standing TMJ dysfunction. It is a common finding incidentally on a base of skull imaging, and it should be remembered that TMJ pain does not correlate well with osteoarthritic changes. Indeed pain from TMJ dysfunction is often self-limiting.

Radiographic features

Changes are usually more evident on the condylar side of the joint:

flattening: common (in one series 27%)
osteophytes: common (27%)
erosions: 13%
sclerosis: less common (9%)
subchondral cysts

Treatment and prognosis

Symptomatic treatment usually involves the intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid, corticosteroids, diclofenac, or glucosamine ⁴. Injection can be preceded by arthrocentesis (joint lavage). Definitive treatment consists of prosthetic replacement of parts of the joint ⁵.