Radiographic examination forms an integral component of the clinical assessment routine in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ). There are several imaging modalities to visualize the TMJ. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a developing technique that is being increasingly used in dentomaxillofacial imaging due to its relatively low-dose high-spatial-resolution characteristics. Research in TMJ imaging has been greatly inspired by the advent of CBCT. In this paper we aim to discuss the present scenario of the role of CBCT in TMJ imaging.

Osteochondroma (OC) is one of the most common benign tumor of osseous and cartilaginous origin. It usually occurs in the skeletal bones and very rarely in craniofacial region. In the craniofacial region, condyle and coronoid process of the mandible are the most commonly affected areas. The present article reports the extremely rare case of OC arising from the angle of the mandible causing facial asymmetry.

Age is an important factor in clinical practice, research, and court of law. One of the interesting applications of forensic odontology is age estimation by means of teeth. Dental development is relatively independent from other systems maturation. Detectable variation in the tempo of tooth mineralization and duration of tooth maturation between children from different geographical regions were reported. Age estimation from teeth by radiological analysis in both children and adolescents has wide applications in several scientific and forensic fields. In 2006, Cameriere et al. proposed a method to estimate chronological age in children, according to measurements of open apices of permanent teeth. The techniques are categorized in morphological, radiological, and biochemical. To reach to reliable estimation different techniques should be used as and repeated measurements should be made. In humans, age determination is done for various reasons. Age determination of cadavers is carried out in victims of mass disasters such as fires, crashes, accidents, homicides, feticides, and infanticides. In living person, the age estimation is done to assess whether the child has attained the age of criminal responsibility such as rape, kidnapping, employment, marriage, premature births, adoption, illegal immigration, pediatric endocrinopathy, and orthodontic malocclusion, and when the birth certificate is not available and records are suspect for reasons such as criminal cases.

Introduction:Removal of impacted mandibular third molar is a common procedure performed in oral surgery. Indications for removal of the third molar have generated much discussion in dentistry. The presence of pericoronal pathosis is generally accepted reason for the extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. Radiographic pathology is usually defined as a pericoronal radiolucency measuring about 2.5 mm or larger in any dimension.Purpose:This study aims to evaluate the histopathologic changes in radiographically normal dental follicles associated with impacted mandibular third molars.Methods:After extraction of 50 impacted mandibular third molars, dental follicle associated with extracted teeth was placed in 10% formalin solution. Histopathologic examination was done. The type of pathological changes was recorded based on histopathological reports. Patients’ gender, age, and radiographic parameters were recorded.Results:Cystic changes were found in 24% of radiographically normal impacted mandibular third molars. Significant cystic changes were observed in position A vertically impacted lower third molars (ILTMs). Male predominance for cystic change was seen with a male–female ratio of 2:1.Conclusion:The result of the present study shows that radiographic analysis may not be reliable technique for the diagnosis of cystic changes in ILTM. The presence of cystic changes can be found even in radiographically normal impacted mandibular third molars. Hence, we recommend that impacted mandibular third molars should be removed and histopathological analysis should be conducted on all surgically extracted dental follicles.