Symptoms and Signs
- Occlusion
- Anterior open bite
- Receding chin
- Loss of ramus height
- Antegonial notching
- Hyperplasia of the coronoid process of the mandible
- Clicking or popping when opening or closing the jaw
- Pain when opening or closing the jaw
- Limited jaw mobility
Causes
- Unknown cause, but theories suggest hormonal mediation, especially in young females
- Strain on the temporomandibular joint from orthodontics or orthognathic surgery
- Reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis as possible causes
Diagnosis
- Clinical evaluation
- Imaging techniques such as cone beam computed tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography
Treatments
- Orthodontics to address malocclusion without surgery, although stability can be an issue
- Orthognathic surgery in conjunction with orthodontics to reconstruct and stabilize the temporomandibular joint
- Use of anti-inflammatory medication to slow the resorption process
- Arthrocentesis and arthroscopic surgery to treat disc displacement and other symptoms
- Total removal of the diseased condyles and replacement with a temporomandibular joint total joint replacement (TJR) device
Related Concepts
- TMJ disorder
- Orthognathic surgery
- Condylar Hyperplasia
Condylar resorption, also called idiopathic condylar resorption, ICR, and condylysis, is a temporomandibular joint disorder in which one or both of the mandibular condyles are broken down in a bone resorption process. This disorder is nine times more likely to be present in females than males, and is more common among teenagers.
| Condylar resorption | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Idiopathic condylar resorption |
 | |
| An anatomical diagram of the condyloid process. | |
| Specialty | Orthopedic |
