The aim was to assess the prevalence of osteoarthrosis (OA) in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in a sample of older people by use of contrast agent-enhanced MRI.
30 patients (73-75 years old) were drawn from a representative sample and were examined clinically. The shape of the condyle was assessed using gadolinium-enhanced MR images, which were evaluated by two independent raters. Statistical assessment was performed by using descriptive statistics, the chi(2) test and kappa statistics.
Agreement between raters was excellent with respect to the presence/absence of OA (kappa = 0.8). Only one subject reported pain in a TMJ. Fine and/or coarse crepitus was not heard in any subject. MRI showed that 70% displayed signs of OA in at least one TMJ. There were no gender-related differences in the prevalence of OA (P > 0.05).
Gadolinium-enhanced MRI showed that OA of the TMJ is common in older people (70%), although the prevalence of clinical signs of OA is very low.