Methods: 505 patients records referred to Tel Aviv University Clinic of Orofacial and Jaw Pain for diagnosis and management of TMD were included. All patients were examined with panoramic radiographs. All radiographs were interpreted by one examiner, and the records were examined afterwards to check for initial diagnosis and to evaluate the efficacy of panoramic imaging in diagnosis of TMD.
Results: Panoramic imaging was found to be unnecessary for diagnosis in 88% of all cases. 47 patients (9.3%) were referred to additional imaging. In a group of patients suffering from osteoarthritis or osteoarthrosis (OA) panoramic imaging was partially efficient for diagnosis in 40% and efficient in 20%. Fifty five percent of patients (25 cases) in OA group were referred to additional imaging. In all 3 cases a non-TMD pathological process was diagnosed by panoramic imaging, it could be diagnosed by bite-wing or periapical radioraph.
Conclusions: Panoramic imaging is inefficient for the diagnosis of TMD, and clinical findings have greater relevance for diagnosis in all cases except osteoarthritis and osteoarthrosis cases where it was found to be useful in 20% of the cases.