• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2013

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a severe form of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), presenting gradual breakdown of articular cartilage and subchondral bone by the functional load sustained to exceed the physiologic tolerance of the joint. In such a joint loaded, offensive bioactive materials such as matrix degrading proteins, cytokines, and free radicals increase in concentration to shift the tissue response in the joint to degeneration from regeneration or remodeling. Recently, it has been issued that obesity can play an offensive role in pathogenesis of OA in a metabolic way. Adipokines released by adipose cells are present at higher concentration in the arthritic joint and joints of obese individuals. However, because of conflicting data reported, further scientific study should be performed to elucidate the practical role of adipokines in pathogenesis of TMJ OA. As far as the clinical signs and symptoms of TMJ OA are not much different from those of other forms of TMD and any definitive treatment modality to control directly the bone resorptive activity is not available yet, the treatment of TMJ OA should be directed to reduce the physical load and enhance the physiologic tolerance of the joint by means of conservative treatment such as physical therapy, medication, and occlusal splint therapy for sufficient period and, if needed after that, supplementary surgical procedure such as intra-articular injection, arthrocenthesis, and arthroscopic surgery that have turned out to be effective to control OA signs and symtpoms. Enthusiastic reassurance and motivation for patients to control behaviors for themselves to reduce unnecessary functional load in daily life is very important for the joint to reach to more favorable orthopedic stability of the TMJ more quickly, guaranteeing more successful management TMJ OA.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2008

Osteoarthritis is caused by joint degeneration, a process that includes progressive loss of articular cartilage accompanied by attempted repair of articular cartilage, remodeling and sclerosis of subchondral bone, and osteophyte formation. The most common causative factor that either causes or contributes to osteoarthritis is overloading of the articular structures of the joint. The diagnosis of temporomandibular joint(TMJ) osteoarthritis is based on the patient's history and clinical findings such as limited mandibular opening, crepitation and tenderness to palpation on TMJ. The diagnosis is usually confirmed by TMJ radiographs, which will reveal evidence of structural changes in the subarticular bone of the condyle or fossa. Plain radiography techniques such as panoramic, transcranial, transpharyngeal views can be used in most dental offices for evaluation of the TMJs. However, plain radiographs are often limited due to overlapping and distortion of anatomical structures. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical examination and panoramic view with computed tomography for diagnosis of temporomandibular degenerative joint disease, and to compare the findings of condylar bony changes through panoramic radiography with that of computed tomography, hence, to confirm the limitations of clinical and panoramic radiography, and the validity of the computed tomography for diagnosis of temporomandibular degenerative joint disease. The pathophysiology of the TMJ osteoarthritis remains poorly understood, and current treatments are based more on speculation than science, and symptomatic treatments often fail to provide satisfactory pain relief. For diagnosis of TMJ osteoarthritis, clinical examination and radiographic examination for confirmation of the bony changes are essential, and computed tomography are clearly superior to plain radiographs for their limitations.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 2005

Temporomandibular joint arthritides is divided into osteoarthritis, osteoarthrosis and polyarthritis. Because the signs, symptoms and radiographical features of osteoarthritis and osteoarthrosis are similar without arthralgia, diffenential diagnosis is difficult. Also non-radiographically change in early Osteoarthritis leads to misdiagnose. Planar bone scan and SPECT are useful to detect bone change early. This study was carried out in order to make diagnostic criteria of planar bone scan and SPECT. Three hundred and four temporomandibular joints were examined with clinical examination, computerized tomograph, planar bone scan, and SPECT. The obtained results were as follows. 1. If temporomandibular joint simple uptake ratio of patient in twenties is over 1.397%, it's condition may be osteoarthritis. And simple uptake ratio over in thirties-fourties may mean osteoarthritis. 2. It may mean osteoarthritis of temporomandibular joint that the number of coronal and transverse SPECT frame with hot spot is over four. 3. Destructive stage may goes on, if simple uptake ratio is over 1.370% in tweenties and over 1.104% in thirties-fourties. 4. If the number of coronal SPECT frame with hot spot is over four, temporomandibular joint may be on destructive stage in tweenties, thirties-fourties. And if the number of transverse SPECT frame with hot spot is over three, it may be on destructive stage in all ages. 5. When patient complains subjective arthralgia and palpation arthralgia, bone change may be more active than each arthralgia. 6. Osteoarthritis may progress gradually worse in 4.5 anamnesis. And then it may be stable gradually and turn to osteoarthrosis.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.511-517
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• 1995

Bone scan is a very sensitive diagnostic imaging test for detecting bone and joint disorders. So it might be useful in the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders of the joint origin. Thus, the effectiveness of bone scan for detecting temporomandibular joint(TMJ) diseases and differentiating the TMJ disc displacement from the TMJ arthritis was evaluated. Bone scan was done in 21 patients with TMJ disc displacement(13 unilaterally affected, 8 bilaterally affected), 25 patients with TMJ arthritis(23 unilateral, 3 bilateral), and 39 volunteers with no signs, symtoms, or history of TMJ disease. TMJ simple uptake rate(SUR) and difference of both TMJ SUR were calculated from the 100,000 count lateral image of head and neck region in 99mTc MDP bone scan. Transcranial and panorama X-ray examination was also done in all patients. TMJ SUR(%) were $1.673{\pm}0.606$ in TMJs affected with arthritis, $1350{\pm}0.351$ in TMJs affected with disc displacement, and $1.084{\pm}0.172$ in TMJs of controls. Significant differences were demonstrated among them(p<0.01) Difference of bith TMJ SUR was highest in patients with unilateral TMJ arthritis($0.608{\pm}$0.533, p<001), and there is no significant difference between that of controls and that of unilateral TMJ dist displacement patients($0.062{\pm}0.063$ vs $0.122{\pm}0.100$). TMJ SUR of Joint with bone change on X-ray finding was not significantly different from that of joint with normal X-ray finding. Those in patients with unilateral TMJ disc displacement(696% and 87% vs 23.1% and 23%). The proportions of patients with increased TMJ SUR and difference of both TMJ SUR(>mean+2SD of controls) in unilateral TMJ arthritis patients were significantly higher than those in patients with unilateral TMJ disc displacement(69.6% and 87% vs 23.1% and 23%). Conclusively, bone scan nay help to detect TMJ disease and differentiate TMJ disc displacement from TMJ arthritis.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.231-236
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• 2006

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is an of autoimmune inflammatory systemic disease. It is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of synovial tissue and a wide array multisystem comorbidities. The disease may involve any joint of the body, but often statrs in the peripheral joints. It was reported that more than 50% of RA patients exhibit clinical involvement of TMJ. This report is a case report of dental management and progression for 16 months in patients who had severe bony change in TMJ involved rheumatoid arthritis Dental management was included palliative treatment such as interocclusal splints, physical therapy, mouth opening exercise. Although it was progressed rapidly osteolytic bone change during follow-up, no more advanced occulsal change and improved symptom and jaw motion. Further investigations about rule of dentistry in TMJ involvement in RA maybe needed.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2011

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is a result of both mechanical and biological events that destabilize the normal coupling of degradation and synthesis of articular cartilage chondrocytes and extracelluar matrix, and subchondral bone. Although it is likely that the molecular basis of pathogenesis is similar to that of other joints, additional study of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is required due to its unique structure and function. This study was carried out to evaluate the epidemiologic characteristics of TMJ osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of TMJ OA in Patients with temporomandibular disorders (1405 men and 2922 women whose mean age was $30.2\; {\pm}\; 15.4$ and $33.1\;{\pm}\;15.2$ years, respectively) who had visited the TMJ and Orofacial Pain Clinic of Seoul National University Dental Hospital in 2007. Orthopantomograms, TMJ tomograms and transcranial radiographs were used to evaluate degenerative change of the mandibular condyle. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Degenerative change of the mandibular condyle was observed in 883 (20.4%) of 4327 subjects. The prevalence was significantly higher in women (706 patients, 24.1%) than in men (177 patients, 12.6%), and this significant difference between genders was observed in all age groups. 2. The prevalence of degenerative change of the mandibular condyle in TMD patients showed a gentle increase along with age. Such increase was statistically significant in women (P < 0.001), but not in men. 3. Sclerosis was observed the most frequently in all age groups and the mean age of the patients with osteophyte was the highest among four types of degenerative change. 4. Although men showed degenerative change in the left side more often and women showed degenerative change more frequently in both sides, the difference of distribution in sides between genders was not significant. In conclusion, the prevalence of degenerative change of the mandibular condyle in TMD patients is higher in women than in men, and increases steadily with aging, but not as dramatically as in other joints that show a steep increase in prevalence around the age of 45 years. It can be suggested that the epidemiologic characteristic of OA of the TMJ differs from those of other joints, and that a more extensive study based on the general population is necessary.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2012

TMJ Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by overload on joint tissue, and often accompany with local tenderness on the joint, crepitus by mandibular movement, restriction of mandibular movement, and anterior openbite. In general, panoramic radiography, TMJ panoramic radiography, and transcranial radiography are conducted to diagnose osteoarthritis after clinical examination, however, these radiographic evaluations are limited in detecting minute bony changes of early pathologic lesion. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the limitation and usefulness of several TMJ imaging techniques, so we compare the findings from clinical examination, plain film radiographs, tomograph, and bone scan from 81 patients with temporomandibular joint disorder. The proportion of patients showing same findings in plain film radiographs, TMJ tomograph, and bone scan was high, however, it is desirable that clinician should conduct phased imaging examinations according to the clinical findings due to the possibilities of false negative findings in diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.40 no.6 s.397
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• pp.424-429
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• 2002

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2006

The aims of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiographic features of temporomandibular dysfunction in the patients with RA to elucidate whether the RA patients would be a risk group for TMD. The 35 patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction were included for this study, of which 15 had rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed by a rheumatologist, and other 20 was control group and they didn't have any history or clinical signs related to it. Clinical symptoms and signs of temporomandibular joint disorders, radiographic and MRI findings of temporomandibular joint were investigated. The results were compared between two groups. In RA group bilateral pain, morning stiffness, reduced opening range, and crepitations were more frequently reported than control group. Radiologic findings such as sclerosis and flattening of condylar head, marginal proliferation, and erosion of glenoid fossa were more frequently observed in RA group than control group. Disk destruction, cortical bone erosion, and intraarticular enhancement were more prominenet in RA group. From theses results, it can be concluded that many RA patients will develop TMD symptoms and the structural changes of TMJ is more extensive than the usual TMD cases.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.261-271
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• 2011

Osteoarthritis in patients with temporomandibular disorders(TMDs) induces pain, limitation of mouth opening, occlusal problems, and most commonly affects their life quality. Control method and progressive process of osteoarthritis are being extensively researched. The researchers focus on histologic changes, synovial changes, muscular and ligamental changes and observed reaction to pain. Therefore most of them developed the animal model for osteoarthritis in TMD patients. In this study, we applied several methods which induces osteoarthritis of temporomandibular joint(TMJ) in rats or mice. For locally induce osteoarthritis in TMJ, Monosodium iodoacetate(MIA) or interleukin-$1{\alpha}$(IL-$1{\alpha}$) were injected into TMJ joint space for 5 or 3 weeks. Other groups are chosen for osteoarthritis under systemic control including hormonal changes and aging. To observe cellular change, increased collagen, degenerative bony destruction and distribution of proteoglycans (PGs), safranin-O staining and Masson's trichrome staining were used.