Subchondral bone resorption in temporomandibular joint disorders.

Several tissues are involved in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) health, including synovial fluid, the TMJ disc, articular cartilage, and subchondral bone. This article focuses upon bone resorption in temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) and has the following objectives: (1) to provide a brief review of the current understanding of bone formation and bone resorption (bone remodeling); (2) to present selected case studies which illustrate the spectrum of bone resorption patterns in TMD patients of various ages; (3) to review previous reports in the literature describing loss of subchondral bone in TMD, and (4) to discuss the interaction between osteoporosis and TMD and the potential role for antiresorbing agents in TMD therapy. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel