The Efficacy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Degenerative and Inflammatory Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: a Systematic Literature Review

Objective: To evaluate the evidence for the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of disk position and configuration, disk perforation, joint effusion, and osseous and bone marrow changes in the temporomandibular joint.

Study Design: A PubMed literature search with specific indexing terms and a hand search were made. Two reviewers assessed the level of evidence of relevant publications as high, moderate, or low. Based on this, the evidence grade for diagnostic efficacy was rated as strong, moderately strong, limited, or insufficient.

Results: The literature search yielded 494 titles, of which 22 were relevant. No publication had a high level of evidence, and 12 had moderate and 10 low levels of evidence. The evidence grade for diagnostic efficacy expressed as sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values was insufficient.

Conclusion: That evidence is insufficient emphasizes the need for high-quality studies on the diagnostic efficacy of MRI, incorporating accepted methodologic criteria.