Posteroanterior diameters of condyles in patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Aim: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is an inflammatory joint disease of unknown etiology that occurs before the age of 16, with a higher incidence in females and it lasts for more than 6 weeks. It leads to erosion and damage of many body joints, including the temporomandibular joint. The aim of this work is to evaluate the difference in size between healthy and diseased posteroanterior condylar diameters in children with JIA. Methods: 50 patients were selected, 40 females and 10 males, out of an initial sample of 70. They were between 4 and 16 years old and their CBCTs were analyzed. The posteroanterior diameters of the right and the left condyles were measured through 3Diagnosys program and the difference in size between healthy and pathological ones was evaluated. Results: a mean difference between healthy diameter and JIA eroded diameter of 2.1 mm was observed. The minimum diameter difference found was 1 mm and the maximum was 7 mm. The differences tend to be greatest during the child’s growth phase, between the ages of 11 and 16. There was no correlation with sex and the age of onset of the disease. Conclusion: condyles affected by JIA are smaller in size than healthy ones. The differences between the posteroanterior diameters of healthy and diseased condyles in patients with JIA tend to be independent of sex and age of onset of the disease. However, it was found an increase in difference in correspondence with the patients’ growth phase.