Imaging Sci Dent.  2015 Jun;45(2):89-94. 10.5624/isd.2015.45.2.89.

Can pterygoid plate asymmetry be linked to temporomandibular joint disorders?

• Guerrero M
• Beltran J
• de Laat A
• Jacobs R

• KMID: 2054210
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5624/isd.2015.45.2.89

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between pterygoid plate asymmetry and temporomandibular joint disorders.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 60 patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) involving pain were analyzed and compared with images of 60 age- and gender-matched controls. Three observers performed linear measurements of the lateral pterygoid plates.
RESULTS
Statistically significant differences were found between measurements of the lateral pterygoid plates on the site that had pain and the contralateral site (p<0.05). The average length of the lateral pterygoid plates (LPPs) in patients with TMD was 17.01+/-3.64 mm on the right side and 16.21+/-3.51 mm on the left side, and in patients without TMD, it was 11.86+/-1.97 mm on the right side and 11.98+/-1.85 mm on the left side. Statistically significant differences in the LPP length, measured on CBCT, were found between patients with and without TMD (p<0.05). The inter-examiner reliability obtained in this study was very high for all the examiners (0.99, 95% confidence interval: 0.98-0.99).
CONCLUSION
Within the limits of the present study, CBCT lateral pterygoid plate measurements at the side with TMD were found to be significantly different from those on the side without TMD. More research is needed to explore potential etiological correlations and implications for treatment.

Keyword

Sphenoid Bone; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Facial Pain; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

MeSH Terms

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
Facial Pain
Humans
Sphenoid Bone
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders*

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Coronal cone-beam computed tomography (CT) image shows the intersection of the midsagittal plane with the nasal cavity floor plane.

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  Fig. 2 Sagittal cone-beam CT image shows the midsagittal plane and the long axis of the palatal plane selected in order to obtain a proper axial view of the outer wings of the bilateral pterygoid tubercle.

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  Fig. 3 Axial cone-beam CT image shows the measurement in the lateral pterygoid plate (LPP), medial pterygoid plate (MPP), and maxillary sinus (MS).

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  Fig. 4 A. Axial cone-beam CT image shows the differences between the left and the right pterygoid plates of a 22-year-old man with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) B. Axial cone-beam CT image shows no differences between the left and the right pterygoid plates on a matched control.

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