Morbidity associated with temporomandibular joint arthrography in clinically normal joints

To document the short- and long-term morbidity of arthrograms done on clinically normal temporomandibular joints, 62 arthrograms were performed on 31 asymptomatic volunteers. All subjects kept a record of any joint pain they experienced during the next five days and were examined by one of the authors at five days and again at two months. Maximum interincisal opening distance was recorded before the arthrogram and at both postarthrographic evaluations. No subjects complained of severe (grade 3) joint pain. Sixteen joints were recorded as moderately painful (grade 2), 32 as mildly painful (grade 1), and 14 as not painful (grade 0). Ten of 31 subjects described transient changes in occlusion one week after arthrography but none of the changes persisted until the two-month examination. Maximum interincisal distance was significantly decreased at one week but not at two months. These findings, although gained from asymptomatic subjects, suggest that complications of arthrography are probably minor and transient when performed by an experienced arthrographer.