Prevalence of temporomandibular joint disk displacement in infants and young children

Abstract Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of temporomandibular joint disk displacement in infants and young children. Study Design. Magnetic resonance images were obtained of the temporomandibular joints in 30 infants and young children ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years (median age, 3 years; mean age, 2.5 years). Results. All joints had normal superior disk position. The computed 95% confidence interval was 0.00-0.06, which implies a minimal probability that disk displacement would occur in this age group. Conclusions. The result contradicts previous suggestions that temporomandibular joint disk displacement could represent a congenital normal anatomic variant. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 1999;87:15-9)