Is power Doppler ultrasound useful to evaluate temporomandibular joint inflammatory activity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of power Doppler ultrasound (US) in assessing the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the reference standard. METHODS: We evaluated the US and MRI examinations of the TMJs from 92 JIA patients. These exams were done and scored for inflammatory activity on the same date. RESULTS: There were considerable differences between the US and MRI findings, with MRI detecting more effectively the TMJ involvement. No association was found between synovial inflammation obtained using power Doppler US to assess synovial vascularity determined by US images and synovial enhancement determined by MRI images. US had very poor sensitivity and very low positive predictive value to detect TMJ arthritis in JIA patients compared with MRI as the reference standard. CONCLUSIONS: Power Doppler US cannot replace MRI for the detection of TMJ inflammatory involvement in JIA patients.Key Points• The early diagnosis of TMJ involvement in JIA patients is very important in order to prevent disturbances in the mandibular growth.• Power Doppler US could be a useful diagnostic tool as a screening exam to identify inflammatory activity in this joint.• However, power Doppler US did not show to have this function and cannot replace MRI for the detection of TMJ inflammatory involvement in JIA patients.

Prevalence of degenerative joint disease of the temporomandibular joint: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate evidence about the prevalence of degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed search on electronic databases and gray literature from their inception to January 2018. Studies reporting prevalence data of DJD on TMJ were included. DJD was assessed through clinical and imaging diagnosis. Studies risk of bias was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data. RESULTS: From 1082 studies, 32 were identified, and the sample size included 3435 subjects. They were clustered into two groups: the first comprised studies that reported prevalence of DJD in TMJ secondary to rheumatic systemic diseases like juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the second group comprised studies that reported prevalence of DJD on temporomandibular disorder patients. The prevalence of DJD on JIA patients ranged from 40.42% (n = 47) to 93.33% (n = 15) and on RA patients from 45.00% (n = 20) to 92.85% (n = 56). Among TMD patients, the prevalence of DJD reported according to patients ranged from 18.01% (n = 1038) to 84.74% (n = 118) and reported according to joints ranged from 17.97% (n = 178) to 77.23% (n = 224). CONCLUSION: This review attempts to high prevalence of DJD in patients with systemic rheumatic disease and a less prevalent, but still high, occurrence in patients with TMD without systemic involvement. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Specialist doctors and dentists should be alert to not underestimate and to correctly diagnose DJD of the TMJ early in patients with rheumatic disease and TMD.

Diagnostic validity of CT to assess degenerative temporomandibular joint disease: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to answer the focus question: "In subjects with degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), what is the diagnostic validity of CT or cone-beam CT (CBCT) compared with clinical protocols"? METHODS: DJD should be assessed through clinical diagnosis according to RDC/TMD or DC/TMD. Search strategies were specifically developed to the following electronic databases: Cochrane, Latin American And Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), PubMed (including Medline), Scopus and Web of Science. Furthermore, partial grey literature search through Google Scholar, OpenGrey and ProQuest was performed. The risk of bias was evaluated using the second version of Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). RESULTS: The databases search revealed 454 records. After applying the eligibility criteria, four studies were included in this review. All studies were methodologically acceptable, although none of the them fulfilled all criteria of risk of bias according to QUADAS-2. Despite there were some high values for sensitivity and specificity, they were not homogeneous between studies. Regarding specificity outcomes, there were three studies with poor values and only one considered as excellent. CONCLUSIONS: CBCT could be a good image to evaluate DJD progression over time, but should not be used as a screening tool in healthy individuals.

Diagnostic validity of clinical protocols to assess temporomandibular disk displacement disorders: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic validity of clinical examination protocols compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in adults with temporomandibular joint disk displacement disorders. STUDY DESIGN: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review was undertaken using a selection process in 2 phases; 283 different references were identified, and 10 articles were included for qualitative analysis and 7 for meta-analysis. Temporomandibular joint disorders were assessed through clinical diagnosis protocols with the aid of Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, or Clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. The authors searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane, LILACS, PubMed, Science Direct, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Additional search of gray literature was performed. Selected studies were evaluated by using the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. Two subgroups were analyzed: Disk displacement with reduction (DDwR) and disk displacement without reduction (DDwoR). RESULTS: The validity of clinical protocols compared with MRI performed in studies evaluating only DDwR presented sensitivity of 44% (39%-49%) and specificity 51% (46%-57%). In studies evaluating only DDwoR, sensitivity was 22% (16%-30%) and specificity 93% (85%-98%). The area under the curve value for validity of clinical protocols in all studies was 0.63, 0.56 for studies evaluating DDwR and 0.64 for studies evaluating DDwoR. Area under the curve values were considered poor. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical examination protocols have poor validity to diagnose DDwR and DDwoR compared with MRI. MRI should be used to increase the diagnostic accuracy when the information provided can influence clinical decisions.

Frequency and Location of Referred Pain in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorder / Frecuencia y Ubicación del Dolor Referido en Pacientes con Trastornos Temporomandibulares

Based on the survey of records regarding the location and frequency of referred pain in patients with temporomandibular disorder when certain pre-established areas are palpated, we proposed an anatomical-topographical division of the head and neck to allow the standardization and reproducibility of locations of referred pain. Of the 835 charts reviewed, 419 (50.2%) patients had referred pain on palpation of the regions based on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) and palpation of the cervical regions, as often analyzed by the Cochran Q test. The concordance coefficient of Kendall examined the correlation between regions of referred pain concerning to palpated sites. The new regions were defined preauricular, facial lateral, temporoparietal, posterior head, posterior and lateral cervical, anterior cervical and calvaria. The region palpated that originated more referred pain was corresponding to the masseter muscle followed by the region of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, regardless of the side palpated. On palpation of the regions established by the RDC/TMD, the most frequent area of referred pain was the lateral facial region. On palpation of the neck, were the posterior and lateral cervical regions. The sites that originated more referred pain when palpated were the masseter, temporalis, sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles.

Basado en la encuesta de registros relativos a la ubicación y frecuencia de dolor referido en pacientes con trastorno temporomandibular al palpar ciertas áreas preestablecidas, propusimos una division topográfica anatómica de cabeza y cuello para permitir la estandarización y reproducibilidad de los lugares de dolor referido. Al examinar los gráficos de 835 sujetos, 419 un (50,2%) de los pacientes reportaron dolor referido a la palpación de las regiones sobre la base de los Criterios Diagnósticos para la Investigación de Trastornos Temporomandibulares (CDI/TTM) y palpación de la region cervical, con análisis de frecuencia con prueba de Cochran Q. El coeficiente de concordancia de Kendall examinó la correlación entre las regiones de dolor referido en relación a los sitios palpados. Las regiones nuevas fueron definidas como, pre-auricular, facial lateral, temporoparietal, cabeza posterior, posterior y lateral cervical, cervical anterior y bóveda craneal. La región de palpado en la cual se originó el dolor mencionado con mayor frecuencia, corresponde al músculo masetero, seguido por la región del músculo esternocleidomastoideo, independientemente del lado palpado. Durante la palpación de las regiones establecidas por los CDI/TTM, la zona más frecuente de dolor referido fue la región facial lateral. A la palpación del cuello, el dolor referido se reportó en la parte posterior y en las regiones cervicales laterales. Los sitios en los que se originó el mayor dolor referido a la palpación, fueron los músculos maseteros, músculos temporales, esternocleidomastoideo y trapecio.

Síndrome de eagle: relato de caso clínico / Eagle syndrome: case report

o alongamento do processo estilóide pode ser assintomático ou desencadear uma série de sintomas que incluem dor e desconforto, e tem sido descrita como síndrome de Eagle (SE). Esta condição pode ser um achado ocasional durante exames de rotina no consultó- rio odontológico. O Cirurgião-Dentista, que muitas vezes é o primeiro profissional a ter oportunidade de fazer o diagnóstico, deve ter conhecimento desta condição e prováveis . consequências para esclarecer o paciente e nortear a conduta a ser adotada. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar conceitos clínicos encontrados na literatura da SE e apresentação de caso clínico.

The elongation of the styloid process may be asymptomatic or cause a range of symp- toms including pain and discomfort, and this condition has been described as Eagle syn- drome. This condition can be an occasional finding during routine dental examination. The dentist, that many times is the first professional to have the opportunity to diagnose, must have the knowledge of this condition and its consequences to enlighten the patient and conduct the treatment. The aim of this paper is to review some concepts that can be found in the literature of Eagle's syndrome and to report a clinical case.