title: Mandibular growth, temporomandibular joint changes and dental occlusion in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. A 17-year follow-up study.
abstract: To evaluate the mandibular growth and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) changes in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a clinical and radiographic 17-year re-examination of 9 of 19 patients has been carried out. A varying degree of micrognathia (mandibular retrognathia, 'bird face') was observed by means of radiographic cephalometric analysis, at both the base-line and follow-up examination of 6 of the patients. No facial asymmetry was found. Rotation of the mandible in relation to the anterior cranial base during the follow-up period, observed in 5 of the 6 patients, indicated a further disturbance of mandibular growth. In 3 patients with mandibular rotation, a dental occlusion anomaly was observed. The TMJ revealed radiographic changes in 6 patients at the base-line examination and in all patients at the re-examination. Micrognathia and the dental occlusion anomaly were associated with radiographic TMJ changes.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002508:Cephalometry; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D008844:Micrognathism / Q000209:etiology; D011859:Radiography; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000209:etiology