Critical assessment of temporomandibular joint clicking in diagnosing anterior disc displacement.

OBJECTIVES:The objective of this study was to compare temporomandibular joint (TMJ) findings from clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosing anterior disc displacement. MATERIAL AND METHODS:114 subjects with at least one sign of temporomandibular disorders (tenderness/pain on palpation of the joints or muscles, TMJ sounds, pain or deviation during maximum mouth opening (active/passive)) and 193 controls underwent MRI after proper history taking and assessment of clinical symptoms. RESULTS:464 joints with no disk displacement (NDD), 114 joints with reducible displaced disk (RDD), and 36 joints with permanently displaced disk (PDD) were confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CONCLUSION:The results suggest that anterior disc displacement of the TMJ can not be diagnosed with considerable accuracy through the use of clinical examination only.