title: The association between dental status and temporomandibular osseous changes: a morphological study on Roman-Byzantine skeletons.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between dental status and the prevalence and severity of osseous changes in the temporomandibular joints of human skulls from the Roman-Byzantine period. Fifty-eight skulls from 36 men and 22 women between the ages of 19 and 63 years were studied, and the following parameters were evaluated: morphological osseous changes in the articular surface of the condyles, tooth wear and molar support. A significant correlation between age and dental wear or loss of molar support was observed, although no correlation was noted between age and morphological osseous changes in the condyles. The loss of molar support was significantly correlated with morphological osseous changes of the condyles, whereas no significant correlation was found between dental wear and condylar changes. This study demonstrates that the loss of molar support can serve as a predictor of osseous changes in the condyle. Reduced molar support may be one of the aetiologies associated with morphological osseous changes in temporomandibular joints. Further studies should to be performed to investigate this potential correlation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Rehabilitation, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv. shifralevartov@gmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levartovsky
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gavish
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagar
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sarphati
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levartovsky
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Winocur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010164:Paleopathology; D012886:Skull / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology*; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology*