To assess the prevalence of radiographically detectable destruction of the temporomandibular joints in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and to study the possible relationships between condylar destruction and type and duration of the disease, as well as the type of occlusion.
The study group consisted of 66 children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (27 boys, 39 girls; mean age, 11.9 years). The possible presence of condylar destruction was examined in panoramic radiographs. The medical history and the type of malocclusion were registered also. The statistical evaluation was performed by means of descriptive statistics, Student's t test, Pearson's chi-square, and an analysis of variance test. The whole procedure was repeated after a 4-week interval to estimate the error of the method.
Of the children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 50% showed some form of condylar destruction. Significant correlation was found between the type of the disease and the condyles affected. In the polyarticular type of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 75% of the children presented affected condyles and 55.6% of them showed lesions bilaterally. The condylar affection was found to be independent of sex, although girls showed a tendency to bilateral lesions. In children with unilateral destruction, the right condyle was affected four times more frequently than the left. The duration of juvenile idiopathic arthritis seems to be significantly correlated to condylar destruction and especially to bilateral destruction.
Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis presented a remarkable prevalence of condylar destruction, which was correlated to the type and duration of the disease.