The Prevalence of Partial Changes in the Condylar Head in the Patients with Osteoarthritis: A Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Study

Abstract Introduction: The present study aimed to review the condylar changes in the patients with osteoarthritis using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Methods: In this study, 80 CBCT images of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pertaining 20 patients with osteoarthritis and 20 healthy individuals were evaluated, as well as the CBCT images that were obtained for other reasons. The images were reviewed in the coronal and sagittal sections. Considering the higher prevalence of osteoarthritis in women and after eliminating gender-based interventions, all the female patients were enrolled in the study. Chi-square was used to evaluate the correlations between the changes in the condylar head by the grouping of the patients, and the significance level was considered at 0.05. Results: The correlation of condylar head flattening (P=0.051) and Ely’s cysts (P=0.544) was assessed in the control group and osteoarthritis patients, and no significant difference was observed between the two variables and patient classification. In addition, the association between erosion (P<0.001) and osteophyte (P=0.002) of the condylar head was evaluated in the control group and osteoarthritis patients, and the presence or absence of these conditions had a significant correlation with disease grouping. Conclusion: According to the results, the presence of osteophyte and erosion was more significant in the osteoarthritis group compared to the healthy subjects. The most prevalent bony changes in the condylar head were due to flattening, and the less prevalent changes were associated with Ely’s cysts. Moreover, osteophyte and erosion were more prevalent in the patients with osteoarthritis.