Osteochondritis dissecans of the temporomandibular joint: a scoping review

To perform a scoping review to identify the available evidence regarding osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

An electronic search of the PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases was performed using the following terms: 'Temporomandibular Joint Disorders', 'Osteochondritis Dissecans', 'Joint Loose Bodies' and 'Temporomandibular Joint'. Full-text articles were obtained from the records after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Ten articles were included in the analysis - six case reports, one case series, one retrospective study, one comparative study and one correlational study - with a total of 39 patients. The most frequently reported clinical presentation involved TMJ pain, locked jaw and articular noises (clicking and crepitus). The imaging methods used to identify OCD were radiographs, tomography, arthrography and magnetic resonance imaging. The reported imaging findings varied widely, but the most frequent were (single or multiple) calcified intra-articular loose bodies, signs of degenerative osseous changes, disc displacements, widening of the joint space and alterations in condylar morphology. Seven articles reported treatments (surgical or conservative), but the treatment outcome was not reported in all of the articles, which makes it difficult to make comparisons.

OCD of the TMJ may present various non-specific clinical characteristics, and given the heterogeneous imaging findings, multiplanar images are required for an accurate diagnosis. Finally, the results do not allow recommending a standard treatment for OCD of the TMJ.