Comparison of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging diagnoses in patients with TMD history

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a well-defined clinical examination for diagnosing anterior disc displacement with and without reduction. A series of 40 patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) history were examined according to well-defined routine criteria. This examination included detailed history-taking, standardized clinical head and neck examination that included measurements of the range of motion, palpation of the temporomandibular joints and muscles of mastication for pain and auscultation of joint sounds. Magnetic resonance images of the joints were used as 'gold standard'. Diagnostic accuracy of the clinical examination was 83% for determining normal disc-condyle relationship, 72% for diagnosing anterior disc displacement with reduction, and 81% for diagnosing anterior disc displacement without reduction. Our results suggest that anterior displacement of the disc can be diagnosed with considerable accuracy using a well-defined clinical examination only. Therefore, we conclude that not all patients with TMD symptoms require magnetic resonance imaging examination before treatment.