Difference in angulation, medio-lateral and postero-anterior diameters of condyles in patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Aim: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is an inflammatory joint disease affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of unknown etiology. It occurs before the age of 16, with a higher incidence in females and it has a duration of more than 6 weeks. It causes erosion of the condyles leading to an alteration not only of their diameters but also of their angulation. However, it is often asymptomatic and, as a result, it is diagnosed late. The aim of this scientific work is to evaluate the difference in angulation and size between medio-lateral and postero-anterior condylar diameters between healthy and diseased condyles in patients with JIA. Materials and Methods: The CBCTS of 50 children, 40 girls and 10 boys between 5 and 16 years old, were analyzed through the 3Diagnosys program. The mid-lateral, antero-posterior diameters and angles of the right and left condyles were measured and the difference in size and angle between the healthy and pathological ones was evaluated. Results: A minimum difference of 1 mm and a maximum of 8 mm with an average difference of 2.2 mm was observed for the mid-lateral diameters, a minimum difference of 1 mm and a maximum of 6 mm with an average of 1.3 mm was obtained for the anterior-posterior diameters and finally an average difference of 9.8° in angulation between healthy and diseased condyles was found, with a greater angulation in those eroded by the pathology. The differences tend to be greatest during the child's growth phase, between the ages of 11 and 16. Conclusions: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis not only leads to the erosion and reduction of the size of the condyles affected by this disease, but also causes a greater angulation than the corresponding healthy condyle. The condyles affected by JIA are smaller in size than healthy ones and an increase in the difference between mid-lateral and antero-posterior diameters of healthy vs pathological condyles was found at the growth phase of the patients.