Estudio radiográfico de las alteraciones morfológicas de la apófisis estiloide y de la rotación del cóndilo mandibular en pacientes con desorden temporomandibular

the aim of this study was to assess radiographically the possible relations between the morphological variations of the styloid process of the temporal bone and the pattern of the condylar excursions in patients with temporomandibular disorders. 1500 conventional x-rays of temporomandibular joints were analyzed, all of them from the servi？o-atm-fo/ufjf files. the results show that 83 patients (5.53%) had at least one morphologic variation of the styloid process, among which 09 (10.8%) were male and 74 (89.2%) female. most of these patients are included in the age group of 41 to 50 years (32.5%). the morphological types were classified as normal (13), elongated (113), pseudoarticulated (21) and segmented (19), totalizing 166 styloid processes. the classification of the condylar excursion was normal (47), condylar hypomobility (30) and condylar hypermobility (89), which totals 166 temporomandibular joints. according to cramer？s v statistic method, evidences that styloid process variations may interfere in the condylar excursion were not found; there is symmetry between the left and right sides concerning both morphological type and condylar excursion