The recognition of craniomandibular disorders--a comparison between clinical and radiographic findings in eighty-nine subjects.

A comparison has been made between clinical and radiographical findings in a study of eighty-nine patients suffering from craniomandibular disorders. In general it was found that condylar changes were more common in these patients than in earlier studies concerning the severe problems of craniomandibular disorders. A statistically significant correlation between clinical and radiographical findings was found for crepitation with osteophyte formation of the condyle (P less than 0.01). After clinical separation of the patients into two groups based upon the origin of pain, myogenous versus arthrogenous, no radiographical correlation could be made except for condylar osteophytes. With the clinical method used for separation of patients it was found that the clicking of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was more common among myogenous patients (P less than 0.05); crepitation was more common among arthrogenous patients (P less than 0.01), as was limited mouth opening (P less than 0.05) and deviation on opening (P less than 0.05). Radiographically, the only statistical difference between the two groups was found for osteophyte formation of the condyle, this was more common among arthrogenous patients (P less than 0.05). As the clinical method has been tested earlier, the results of this study lends support to the idea that conventional radiographical examination is of limited use in the initial diagnostics of craniomandibular disorders. Therefore new alternatives have to be developed.