title: Prospective study of posttreatment changes in the temporomandibular joint.
abstract: The purpose of this follow-up prospective longitudinal study was to determine what changes occurred in the condyle/fossa relationship after treatment. Orthodontic posttreatment records, including corrected tomograms of 106 white patients (58 Class I and 48 Class II Division 1), from a pretreatment sample of 232 patients, were analyzed. The average pretreatment age was 13.6 +/- 3.0 years. The average length of treatment was 2.3 +/- 0.6 years for the Class I group and 2.8 +/- 0.9 years for the Class II Division 1 group. With orthodontic treatment, the condyle became more concentrically positioned, and a significant (P <.05) decrease in left and right anterior, posterior, and superior joint spaces was observed in most subjects. There was no statistically significant correlation between changes in the condyle/fossa relationship based on age, gender, skeletal or dental variables, signs or symptoms of temporomandibular disorder, headgear use, type of elastics, or nonextraction vs extraction treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodoontics, College of Dentistry, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, 73190, USA. ram-nanda@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Kevin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Carlton
authors.forename: Ram S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Nanda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002508:Cephalometry; D005115:Extraoral Traction Appliances; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008311:Malocclusion, Angle Class I / Q000628:therapy; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000628:therapy; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012690:Serial Extraction; D012737:Sex Factors; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000145:classification; D013997:Time Factors; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray