Evaluation of Temporomandibular Joint Shape and Image Diagnosis

Tomograms of a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were analyzed by image processing. The TMJ shape was evaluated from the TMJ space, the space area and the distance between the reference points of the condyle and the glenoid fossa. The shape factors of the condyle and the glenoid fossa were also measured to examine the deformation of the bone. The borderline values were determined from the results obtained by the image analysis and they were used to select an abnormal sample from among many samples. The deformation of the condyle can be detected simply by the shape factor. The error of diagnosis is more than 10% according to the borderline values of the TMJ space and the space area. On the other hand, the error is 2.4% when the horizontal distance between the reference points is employed. The present system will contribute to the image diagnosis of the TMJ syndrome and evaluate the TMJ shape objectively.