Mandibular Condyle Lesions in Children With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

February 11, 2008

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal: Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 57-62.

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Objective: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.

Material And Method: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.

Results: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.

Conclusion:Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis presented a

remarkable prevalence of condylar destruction, which was correlated to the

type and duration of the disease.

KEY WORDS: condyle lesions, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, temporomandibular

joint

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