Understanding the TMJ and its Relationship to Occlusion and Airway: A Radiographic Exploration

The aim of this course is to teach clinicians how to look for radiographic diagnostic clues that may indicate the presence of TMD or Sleep-disordered breathing in their dental patients. Taught by Dr. Dania Tamimi, an Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologist and author of a textbook on the subject, “Specialty Imaging: Temporomandibular joint”, the course will include a comprehensive review of TMJ and upper respiratory tract anatomy as visualized on CBCT and MRI volumes. She will review the growth and development of the TMJ and how dysfunction can change the morphology of the oral and maxillofacial complex, including the airway, and how to diagnose some of these dysfunctions using CBCT. The relationship of the TMJs and airway to the occlusion will be discussed in light of bite changes that may affect the final restorative and orthodontic outcome if undiagnosed. With the correct diagnosis of the patient comes higher likelihood of treatment outcome success.

Objectives:

1. To review the MRI and CBCT imaging of the TMJ
2. To familiarize the participant with the normal anatomy of the major contributors to TMD and sleep-disordered breathing
3. Understanding the correlation between TMD, facial asymmetry, occlusion and airway and how it presents radiographically