TMJ Clicking: A Comparison of Clinical Examination, Sonography, and Axiography

Abstract:

A sample of 30 subjects, 15 with and 15 without subjective temporomandibular joint (TMJ) complaints (noises. sounds), underwent a clinical examination, a sonography and an axiography, to detect TMJ clicking. The clinical examination found 22 noisy joints in a total of 60 TMJs considered. Axiography found 19 noisy joints and sonography 32. While 90% of the examined joints showed agreement between axiography and clinical examination (with a little higher sensitivity demonstrated by clinical examination with respect to axiography), 20% of the joints were positive for clicking in sonography only. Sonography showed a high sensitivity in detection of joint noises which suggests its utility as a screening test for early detection of craniomandibular disorders.