Title
Comparative evaluation of CBCT and MRI in detecting simulated TMJ disc displacement: An in vitro study
Authors
Ankit Saha1, Padmanabha Kumar2,*, Radheshyam Chourasia3, Bassam Alkhalifah4, Irfan Adil Majid5 & Sameer Gupta6
Affiliation
1Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Kantipur dental college Teaching hospital & Research centre, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Deputy Dean, Mahsa University , Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 3Department of Dentistry, Rawatpura Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Institute, Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh; 4Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Oral Basic Clinical Sciences, Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies, Al Mahjar Street, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital, Sahibabad , Ghaziabad , Uttar Pradesh, India; *Corresponding author
Ankit Saha - E-mail: ankit.omdr@gmail.com
Padmanabha Kumar - E-mail: padmanabha@mahsa.edu.my
Radheshyam Chourasia - E-mail: dr.radhe06@gmail.com
Bassam Alkhalifah - E-mail: b.alkhalifah@qu.edu.sa
Irfan Adil Majid - E-mail: iadil@ibnsina.edu.sa
Sameer Gupta - E-mail: sameer.gupta83@yahoo.in
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received February 1, 2026; Revised February 28, 2026; Accepted February 28, 2026, Published February 28, 2026
Abstract
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc displacement is a common clinical condition, yet disagreement persists regarding the optimal imaging modality for its diagnosis. Therefore, it is of interest to compare the diagnostic accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting simulated TMJ disc displacement in twenty fresh-frozen human cadaveric specimens. Disc displacements including anterior displacement with and without reduction, medial displacement and lateral displacement were created and independently assessed by three blinded, calibrated oral and maxillofacial radiologists. MRI demonstrated significantly higher diagnostic accuracy (94.2%) than CBCT (71.8%) (p < 0.001), with superior sensitivity, specificity and inter-observer agreement (κ = 0.89 vs 0.62). Thus, we show MRI as the imaging modality of choice for evaluating TMJ disc displacement, while CBCT serves as a complementary tool for assessing associated osseous changes
Keywords
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ), disc displacement, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diagnostic accuracy
Citation
Saha et al. Bioinformation 22(2): 974-979 (2026)
Edited by
Hiroj Bagde
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
