Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar 25;51(2):126-134.
doi: 10.4041/kjod.2021.51.2.126.

Differences in mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa morphology in relation to vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns: A cone-beam computed tomography study

Kyoung Jin Noh  1 , Hyoung-Seon Baik  2 , Sang-Sun Han  3 , Woowon Jang  1 , Yoon Jeong Choi  2
Affiliations

Differences in mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa morphology in relation to vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns: A cone-beam computed tomography study

Kyoung Jin Noh et al. Korean J Orthod. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the following null hypothesis: there are no differences in the morphology of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) structures in relation to vertical and sagittal cephalometric patterns.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed with 131 participants showing no TMJ symptoms. The participants were divided into Class I, II, and III groups on the basis of their sagittal cephalometric relationships and into hyperdivergent, normodivergent, and hypodivergent groups on the basis of their vertical cephalometric relationships. The following measurements were performed using cone-beam computed tomography images and compared among the groups: condylar volume, condylar size (width, length, and height), fossa size (length and height), and condyle-to-fossa joint spaces at the anterior, superior, and posterior condylar poles.

Results: The null hypothesis was rejected. The Class III group showed larger values for condylar width, condylar height, and fossa height than the Class II group (p < 0.05). Condylar volume and superior joint space in the hyperdivergent group were significantly smaller than those in the other two vertical groups (p < 0.001), whereas fossa length and height were significantly larger in the hyperdivergent group than in the other groups (p < 0.01). The hypodivergent group showed a greater condylar width than the hyperdivergent group (p < 0.01). The sagittal and vertical cephalometric patterns showed statistically significant interactions for fossa length and height.

Conclusions: TMJ morphology differed across diverse skeletal cephalometric patterns. The fossa length and height were affected by the interactions of the vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns.

Keywords: Cephalometrics; Cone-beam computed tomography; Temporomandibular joint.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Measurements for the temporomandibular joint structure. Condylar volume was measured from a three-dimensional reconstructed image; condylar width was measured on the coronal section; and other measurements, including condylar length and height, fossa length and height, and superior, anterior, and posterior joint spaces, were measured on the same sagittal section. Please refer to Tables 2 and 3 for definitions of the abbreviations and measurements.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interaction between vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns and fossa length (A) and height (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Krisjane Z, Urtane I, Krumina G, Bieza A, Zepa K, Rogovska I. Condylar and mandibular morphological criteria in the 2D and 3D MSCT imaging for patients with Class II division 1 subdivision malocclusion. Stomatologija. 2007;9:67–71. - PubMed
    1. Tecco S, Saccucci M, Nucera R, Polimeni A, Pagnoni M, Cordasco G, et al. Condylar volume and surface in Caucasian young adult subjects. BMC Med Imaging. 2010;10:28. doi: 10.1186/1471-2342-10-28. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Katsavrias EG. Morphology of the temporomandibular joint in subjects with Class II Division 2 malocclusions. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2006;129:470–8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2005.01.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Katsavrias EG, Halazonetis DJ. Condyle and fossa shape in Class II and Class III skeletal patterns: a morphometric tomographic study. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2005;128:337–46. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2004.05.024. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Krisjane Z, Urtane I, Krumina G, Zepa K. Three-dimensional evaluation of TMJ parameters in Class II and Class III patients. Stomatologija. 2009;11:32–6. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources