Critical assessment of temporomandibular joint clicking in diagnosing anterior disc displacement.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to compare temporomandibular joint (TMJ) findings from clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosing anterior disc displacement. MATERIAL AND METHODS 114 subjects with at least one sign of temporomandibular disorders (tenderness/pain on palpation of the joints or muscles, TMJ sounds, pain or deviation during maximum mouth opening (active/passive)) and 193 controls underwent MRI after proper history taking and assessment of clinical symptoms. RESULTS 464 joints with no disk displacement (NDD), 114 joints with reducible displaced disk (RDD), and 36 joints with permanently displaced disk (PDD) were confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CONCLUSION The results suggest that anterior disc displacement of the TMJ can not be diagnosed with considerable accuracy through the use of clinical examination only.