Prevalence of Condylar Sclerosis in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorder

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of morphological changes of the condyle (Sclerosis) in patients with Temporomandibular Disorder.We have developed a retrospective epidemiological study using medical records of 1000 clinical data forms, with their respective exams (working models in type III dental stone plaster and planigraphy of TMJ) from patients who sought care at the Department of Diagnostic and Advice to Patients with Temporomandibular Disorder at the Dentistry School of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais, Brazil (TMJ Service) between 2003 and 2009. We included female patients aged between 6 to 74 years old with an average of 34.4 years old. Three variables were analyzed with logistic regression model: posterior tooth loss, morphological changes and age. Data were organized, and then analyzed by Wilcoxon and binomial statistical tests. A comparison was made between the data in the study and those obtained from a literature review. The results showed no relationship between tooth loss and posterior condylar morphological changes (p> 0.05). There was a positive correlation between tooth loss and age variables (p < 0.05), i.e., Exp (B) = 1.105. The results of this study demonstrated that the posterior tooth loss and aging are not the main factors for the development of degenerative joint changes in female subjects.