Abstract
This study aims to establish a new staging system of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) anterior disc displacement (ADD) and evaluate its role in guiding the treatment plan. A consecutive sample of 522 juvenile patients (780 joints) diagnosed as ADD based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was included and analyzed. 674 joints received TMJ treatments according to our staging system, while 106 joints rejected any treatment; only for follow-up. The outcomes were judged according to our success criteria. The prognosis of our staging system was also evaluated in comparison to Wilkes classification. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that significant stratifications of the ameliorative rate were found at all subgroups within any two stages in our staging system, except for subgroups between stages 0 and 1, stages 2 and 3, and stages 3 and 4. After analyzing the interactions between different candidate prognostic factors in a Cox model, the relative risks of deterioration of ADD included treatment methods (HR = 42.94, P < 0.0001), disease course (HR = 0.98, P = 0.0019), stages of ADD (HR = 3.81, 9.62, 12.14, P = 0.016, 0.000,0.000 respectively for stage 2, stage 3 and stage 4) and the interaction between ADD stages and treatment methods. The C index of this model was 0.87. The new staging system of TMJ ADD appears reliable, and benefits to making treatment planning and predicting the prognosis.