Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) effusion on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered a radiologic sign of intra-articular inflammation; however, its clinical relevance to pain and mandibular dysfunction remains inconsistent. OBJECTIVE(S): The objective of this study is to determine whether severity-graded MRI-detected TMJ effusion is associated with pain intensity and dysfunction in patients with...
No actionable change for audiologists; TMJ effusion grading on MRI is relevant to oral medicine and maxillofacial specialists, with only indirect relevance to audiology tinnitus or ear-fullness differential diagnosis.
TMJ dysfunction can mimic or co-exist with ear symptoms, so understanding its MRI correlates may support differential diagnosis in patients presenting with otalgia or ear fullness.
- 01Severity of MRI-detected TMJ effusion correlates with degree of pain and jaw dysfunction.
- 02Study population: temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients.
- 03Findings support MRI grading as a meaningful clinical marker in TMD assessment.
- 04Peripheral relevance to audiology in differentiating TMJ-related ear symptoms.
- 05Published in Journal of Oral Rehabilitation (DOI: 10.1111/joor.70276).
Higher-grade MRI-detected TMJ effusion is associated with greater pain and dysfunction in temporomandibular disorder patients.
studysupported- PMID
- 42499310
- DOI
- 10.1111/joor.70276.
- Journal
- Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 3
- Population
- Patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder
- Intervention
- Severity-graded MRI assessment of TMJ effusion
Primary outcomes
Association between TMJ effusion grade and clinical pain; Association between TMJ effusion grade and jaw dysfunction