Severe rheumatoid arthritis of the temporomandibular joints and its coincidence with severe rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical spine

The degree of arthritis of the cervical spine was retrospectively studied in cervical spine radiographs from 400 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In the same cervical radiographs the arthritic destruction of the temporomandibular joints was measured as diminished ramal height from the mandibular angle to the palato-occipital line. Reduced ramal height was found in 76 patients, 69 women and 7 men, and in 33 patients the reduction in height was severe enough to be compatible with a total destruction of the mandibular head. An arthritic destruction of the temporomandibular joints occurred significantly more often in patients with a severe cervical arthritis than in those without cervical affection, and vice versa. Of the 76 patients with a reduced ramal height, 66% had a severe arthritis of the cervical spine and of the 100 patients with severe arthritic changes of the cervical spine, 50% had severe destructive arthritis of the temporomandibular joints.