Usefulness of tomography in the evaluation of patients with temporomandibular disorders: a retrospective clinical study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of temporomandibular joint tomography on the diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders and to determine whether there were any clinical predictors of usefulness of tomography in providing new information helpful in the treatment of these patients.


METHODS
The charts of 116 patients with temporomandibular joint tomograms were reviewed retrospectively for presenting signs and symptoms, initial clinical diagnosis, and alterations in diagnosis and management as a result of tomography.


RESULTS
Common clinical diagnoses included osteoarthrosis (54%) and internal derangement (42%). Tomography changed the diagnosis in 24%, mainly adding or subtracting osteoarthrosis, and altered the management in 17%. Most of the latter were minor changes in treatment recommendations. There were few clinical variables that were related to whether tomography changed diagnosis or management.


CONCLUSIONS
Tomography seems to have a minimal effect on the diagnosis or management of temporomandibular disorders based on the results of this retrospective study.
Callender
K I
KI
University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, USA.
Brooks
S L
SL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*