Autoimmune temporomandibular arthropathy: diagnostic considerations

The etiology of degenerative processes of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) remains unclear, as they could be the result of trauma, infection, or autoimmune disease. Improving the diagnosis of autoimmune disease, whether the TMJ is the primary site or secondarily affected by a systemic disease, is of fundamental importance in selecting treatment that will address the causes rather than just relieve the symptoms. The purposes of this article are to discuss autoimmunity as an etiologic factor in degenerative processes of the TMJ by presenting clinical cases and to highlight the importance of imaging and serologic examinations for diagnosis.