Does the use of panoramic radiography add information in the temporomandibular joint evaluation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients? A case control study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of radiographic changes in the temporomandibular joint, in a representative population of patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and to compare with findings in healthy controls matched by sex and age. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-seven panoramic radiographies (PR) from JIA patients of a pediatric rheumatology outpatient clinic were prospectively evaluated and compared to 137 PR from healthy individuals. RESULTS: 102 (74.5%) JIA patients and 47 (34.3%) controls showed at least one radiological alteration (p < 0.001). The following radiographic alterations were more frequently observed in JIA patients than in controls: erosion (p < 0.001), altered condylar morphology (p < 0.001), disproportion between condylar process and the coronoid process (p < 0.001) and accentuated curve in the antegonial notch (p = 0.002). Twenty patients (14.6%) presented the four radiographic alterations simultaneously compared to only two controls (1.5%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Due to the difference in the frequency of findings in the PR of patients and controls, we concluded that PR has value as a screening tool. In the presence of major changes in the mandible head in the PR of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of JIA, MRI should be considered to detect an active inflammatory process in this joint.

Does the use of panoramic radiography add information in the temporomandibular joint evaluation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients? A case control study

Abstract Objective To determine the frequency of radiographic changes in the temporomandibular joint, in a representative population of patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and to compare with findings in healthy controls matched by sex and age. Patients and Methods One hundred and thirty-seven panoramic radiographies (PR) from JIA patients of a pediatric rheumatology outpatient clinic were prospectively evaluated and compared to 137 PR from healthy individuals. Results 102 (74.5%) JIA patients and 47 (34.3%) controls showed at least one radiological alteration (p < 0.001). The following radiographic alterations were more frequently observed in JIA patients than in controls: erosion (p < 0.001), altered condylar morphology (p < 0.001), disproportion between condylar process and the coronoid process (p < 0.001) and accentuated curve in the antegonial notch (p = 0.002). Twenty patients (14.6%) presented the four radiographic alterations simultaneously compared to only two controls (1.5%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion Due to the difference in the frequency of findings in the PR of patients and controls, we concluded that PR has value as a screening tool. In the presence of major changes in the mandible head in the PR of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of JIA, MRI should be considered to detect an active inflammatory process in this joint.