The relationship between parafunctional masticatory activity and arthroscopically diagnosed temporomandibular joint pathology.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to assess the relationship between parafunctional masticatory activity and arthroscopically visualized changes in patients with severe, unremitting symptoms caused by intra-articular temporomandibular joint pathology. The working hypothesis was that the presence of parafunctional activity leads to increased arthroscopically diagnosed pathology.

Materials And Methods: Temporomandibular joint arthroscopy was performed on 124 joints in 83 patients (female:male, 5.

Osteoarthritis and synovitis as major pathoses of the temporomandibular joint: comparison of clinical diagnosis with arthroscopic morphology.

Purpose: The purposes of this investigation were to determine how common osteoarthritis and synovitis are in patients with severe, recalcitrant temporomandibular joint (TMJ) symptoms using clinical diagnostic criteria as well as arthroscopic examination, and to compare the accuracy of the clinical and arthroscopic diagnoses with respect to specificity and sensitivity.

Patients And Methods: Clinical and arthroscopic diagnoses were established in 126 joints of 84 patients with severe TMJ symptoms recalcitrant to conservative therapy. All joints were classified as having osteoarthritis (OA) or no osteoarthritis (non-OA) and synovitis (syn) or no synovitis (non-syn) using clinical and arthroscopic criteria.

Load-controlled compression of articular cartilage induces a transient stimulation of aggrecan gene expression.

The effects of short- and long-term load-controlled compression on the levels of aggrecan mRNA have been determined. Results show that a compressive stress of 0.1 MPa on bovine articular cartilage explants for 1, 4, 12, and 24 h produces a transient up-regulation of aggrecan mRNA synthesis.

Proteoglycans in the synovial fluid of the temporomandibular joint as an indicator of changes in cartilage metabolism during primary and secondary osteoarthritis.

Purpose: The specific aim of this investigation was to assess differences between primary and secondary osteoarthritis (OA) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) using clinical evaluation and synovial fluid analysis for proteoglycans.

Materials And Methods: Arthroscopic surgery was performed on 101 TMJs from patients with significant pain or dysfunction and who had failed to respond to treatment. Joints were assessed for primary and secondary osteoarthritis.

Correlation between arthroscopic diagnosis of osteoarthritis and synovitis of the human temporomandibular joint and keratan sulfate levels in the synovial fluid.

Purpose: The specific aims of this investigation were to determine if there is a relationship between an arthroscopic diagnosis of synovitis and osteoarthritis, and if the presence of synovitis influences the level of cartilage degradation, as evidenced by keratan sulfate levels in the synovial fluid.

Patients And Methods: Arthroscopic surgery was performed on 114 temporomandibular joints in 88 patients who had significant pain or dysfunction and whose condition had failed to improve with conservative treatment. Synovial fluid aspirates were obtained immediately before arthroscopy and used for the determination of keratan sulfate levels.