Magnetic resonance imaging of the temporomandibular joint in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

For more than a century, it has been known that juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can affect the temporomandibular joint. With advances in medical imaging in more recent decades, there has been an increase in awareness of the spectrum of pathology that can affect the temporomandibular joint in children with JIA. This pathology can lead to symptoms ranging from decreased chewing ability, jaw and facial pain, headaches and malocclusion to craniofacial morphological changes such as a retrognathic mandible. The purpose of this review is to suggest an MR imaging protocol for the temporomandibular joint and to illustrate normal and abnormal appearances of the joint in children with JIA.