Evaluation of the Prevalence of Bifid Mandibular Condyle Detected on Cone Beam Computed Tomography Images in a Turkish Population

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of the BMC phenomenon in a Turkish patient population. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 2634 consecutive patients were retrospectively reviewed. The Chi-squared test was used to determine potential differences in the distribution of BMCs when stratified by sex and side. Among the 2634 patients, 42 (1.7%) patients were found to have BMC. Of these 42 patients, 22 were female (0.8%) and 20 were male (0.7%) with age ranging from 29 to 68 years (mean age 47.47). Among the 42 patients, 39 (92.8%) of the BMCs were unilateral and three (7.1%) were bilateral. Approximately 24 cases (53.3%) were on the right side, and 21 cases (46.6%) were on the left side. All of the BMCs showed a mediolateral orientation. The mean depth of the BMC was 2.55 mm in males and 2.68 mm in females. 2 patients have symptoms whereas the other patients were atraumatic and asymptomatic. BMC is a rare condition that might be more prevalent in the Turkish population. Greater detailed information regarding BMC could be obtained by the widespread use of CBCT in epidemiological studies.