Comparison of the Horizontal Condyle Angle of the Dentulous and Edentulous Patients Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography

INTRODUCTION: To compare horizontal condyle angle (HCA) between fully edentulous and dentulous patients and consider relationship of age and gender to HCA.
METHODS: In this study, fifty patients between the ages of 25 and 76 were included and their HCA were measured on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images by software, then relationship of measured HCA to age, gender and dental condition were analyzed.
RESULTS: It was understood that gender had no significant effect on HCA (p= 0.850), also dental conditon had no significant effect on HCA (p= 0.772). There was no significant relationship between age and HCA, and a negative correlation was found between them (r= -0.25, p= 0.865).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the literature, ıt was emphasized that higher HCA may cause temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement. To our study, as age increases, HCA decreases. In other words, increase of HCA was not seen in older population of patients which may cause TMJ internal derangement.