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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
3D superimposition and understanding temporomandibular joint arthritis
L H S Cevidanes1, L R Gomes, B T Jung
1Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Objectives:
To investigate the 3D morphological variations in 169 temporomandibular ioint (TMJ) condyles, using novel imaging statistical modeling approaches.
Setting And Sample Population:
The Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Michigan. Cone beam CT scans were acquired from 69 subjects with long-term TMJ osteoarthritis (OA, mean age 39.1±15.7 years), 15 subjects at initial consult diagnosis of OA (mean age 44.9±14.8 years), and seven healthy controls (mean age 43±12.4 years).
Materials And Methods:
3D surface models of the condyles were constructed, and homologous correspondent points on each model were established. The statistical framework included Direction-Projection-Permutation (DiProPerm) for testing statistical significance of the differences between healthy controls and the OA groups determined by clinical and radiographic diagnoses.
Results:
Condylar morphology in OA and healthy subjects varied widely with categorization from mild to severe bone degeneration or overgrowth. DiProPerm statistics supported a significant difference between the healthy control group and the initial diagnosis of OA group (t=6.6, empirical p-value=0.006) and between healthy and long-term diagnosis of OA group (t=7.2, empirical p-value=0). Compared with healthy controls, the average condyle in OA subjects was significantly smaller in all dimensions, except its anterior surface, even in subjects with initial diagnosis of OA.
Conclusion:
This new statistical modeling of condylar morphology allows the development of more targeted classifications of this condition than previously possible.
