Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cumhuriyet Dental Journal , cilt.27, sa.3, ss.194-200, 2024 (Scopus)
Objective: The impact of condyle volume is influenced by the presence of posterior occlusal support and age. This study aimed to retrospectively explore how age, Eichner index, and gender influence condyle volume in three dimensions, through the classification of occlusal support using the Eichner index. Material and Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 232 patients (107 males and 125 females) aged 18-76 years were retrospectively analysed. ITK-SNAP open-source software was utilized to measure volume of condyles with semi-automated segmentation. CBCT images were analyzed based on age, gender, and the status of posterior occlusal support. Posterior occlusal support status was assessed by categorizing it into three groups according to the Eichner index: A) indicating no loss of posterior occlusal support; B) representing one to three units of occlusal support loss; and C) denoting four units of posterior occlusal support loss. For normality, Kolmogorov Smirnov test was performed and Pearson test was used to determine the correlations of continuous variables. Student's t test was used to investigate the difference between age and gender, and paired t test was used to evaluate the difference between left and right volume. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the mean right and left condyle volume (p > 0.05). The mean condyle volume was higher in males than females, but this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). A statistically significant negative correlation was detected between age and condyle volume (p < 0.05). Age and Eichner index were statistically significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05). A statistically significant negative correlation was determined between condyle volume and Eichner index (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Volumetric measurement of the condyles using CBCT and comparison with Eichner index is crucial to assess abnormalities and bony changes affecting the TMJ in association with occlusal support and to examine and prevent complications. Although it was found that the condyle volume decreased significantly with increasing age and decreasing occlusal support, no significant difference was revealed between genders in the present study.