Cone-beam CT analysis of temporomandibular joint morphology before and after rehabilitation in patients with Kennedy class II partial edentulism.

Authors

Zhoubin Xia, Jing Ren, Zhishan Jian, Yan Yan, Guilin Liu, Changhui Wang, Liangju Cao

Published in

Odontology. Jul 20, 2026. Epub Jul 20, 2026.

Abstract

Partial edentulism alters occlusal loading and may affect temporomandibular joint (TMJ) morphology. This prospective comparative study evaluated whether implant-supported fixed prostheses and removable partial dentures (RPDs) differentially restore TMJ joint-space distribution in Kennedy Class II cases using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Thirty adults with unilateral free-end edentulism (loss of 2-3 posterior units) received either implant-supported fixed restorations (n = 15) or RPDs (n = 15); fifteen dentally healthy adults served as controls. CBCT scans were obtained at two time points: pre-rehabilitation (baseline) and 6 months after completion of prosthetic rehabilitation. Lateral (LJS), medial (MJS), superior (SJS), anterior (AJS), and posterior (PJS) joint spaces were measured; medio-lateral (LJS-MJS) and antero-posterior (AJS-PJS) differences were derived. Before rehabilitation, patients showed abnormal LJS, MJS, and LJS-MJS versus controls (p < 0.05). At 6 months after rehabilitation, significant between-group differences remained in LJS and LJS-MJS (p < 0.05), whereas no significant between-group differences were observed in MJS or AJS-PJS. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two rehabilitation modalities; however, this finding should not be interpreted as evidence of equivalence.These findings suggest that Kennedy Class II patients may exhibit a predominantly coronal-plane imbalance of TMJ joint spaces, with residual differences from healthy controls remaining at 6 months after either implant-supported or removable rehabilitation. Within the limitations of this non-randomized CBCT-based study, these results should be interpreted as preliminary radiographic observations of short-term TMJ spatial adaptation rather than direct evidence of clinical benefit or disease-risk reduction.

PMID:
42474919
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jul 2026.

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