title: Association between craniofacial asymmetry and unilateral temporomandibular joint sounds in adult patients using 3D-computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between unilateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds and craniofacial asymmetry, using 3D-computed tomography (CT) measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one reconstructed 3D-CT models of adult subjects were measured to analyze craniofacial asymmetry. Subjects were divided into two groups depending on the presence (n = 20) or absence (n = 21) of unilateral joint sounds, and the results compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. To investigate the association between these parameters, the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Asymmetries in the maxillary and mandibular structures were statistically significant (P < 0.05) for subjects with unilateral TMJ sounds and for controls, except in the case of maxillary rotation and mandibular ramus height (P > 0.05). The highest deviations found were frontal and lateral ramal inclination, goniac angle and canting of occlusal plane.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adult patients with unilateral joint sounds may have skeletal jaw asymmetry and a canted occlusal plane.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Department of Stomatology, School of Dentistry, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: R-M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Yáñez-Vico
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iglesias-Linares
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Torres-Lagares
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Pérez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solano-Reina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002508:Cephalometry; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005146:Facial Asymmetry / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007569:Jaw Abnormalities / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology; D013016:Sound; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000473:pathology; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed