Abstract: Objective: To investigate the features of closing position panoramic radiograph of bilateral joint space in patients with unilateral temporomandibular joint synovitis. Methods: Twenty-seven cases diagnosed with unilateral temporomandibular joint synovitis by temporomandibular joint disease clinic in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were collected. The bilateral temporomandibular joint sagittal panoramic radiograph at the intercuspal position was recorded by digital surface tomography X-ray machine, and reconstructed by CliniView 9.2 software, and the indexes of TMJ condylar related space were measured and compared between the affected side and the unaffected side. Results: The anterior condylar space, the superior space, and the posterior space in patients with unilateral temporomandibular joint synovitis in the affected side were significantly greater than those in the unaffected side (P<0.05), and the ipsilateral anterior superior and posterior space of the affected side were increased by about 32.46%, 64.62%, and 55.05% in contrast to those of the unaffected side. The asymmetric index results showed that the superior space had great influence on the asymmetry of the condylar space. Conclusion: The condylar space of patients with unilateral temporomandibular joint synovitis in the affected side is wider than that of the unaffected side, and the upper space has a greater influence on the symmetry of bilateral joint space.

Key words: Synovitis, Temporomandibular joint, Condylar space, Closing position panoramic radiograph