Methods: 59 patients with signs and symptoms of TMJ disorders were divided into unilateral condylar bone change (UBC) group (39 females) and no condylar bone change (NBC) group (20 females). Lateral and frontal cephalograms and panoramic radiographs were taken to evaluate the craniofacial morphology, condylar and ramal heights of the two groups. All study participants had CT scans taken to evaluate the temporomandibular joints. Each patient was placed on a supine position and helical CT scans were obtained with mouth closed and maximally opened. The posterior slope of the articular eminence was then measured using National Institute of Health software (NIH Image version 1.62).
Results: CT and Cephalometric measurements showed that the articular eminence inclination was significantly smaller on the affected side than on the non-affected side and mandible deviated to ipsilateral side in the UBC group. Moreover, the difference of articular eminence inclination was highly correlated with mandibular deviation and the difference of condylar height in the UBC group.
Conclusion: Mandibular deviation might therefore not only be related to the condylar bone change but also to condylar and ramal heights, and morphology of the glenoid fossa. The remodeling of temporomandibular joint including the articular eminence as well as the condyle might be related to the frontal craniofacial morphology.