Objectives: The aim was to assess the prevalence of osteoarthrosis (OA) in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in a sample of older people by use of contrast agentenhanced MRI. Methods: 30 patients (73-75 years old) were drawn from a representative sample and were examined clinically. The shape of the condyle was assessed using gadolinium-enhanced MR images, which were evaluated by two independent raters. Statistical assessment was performed by using descriptive statistics, the x 2 test and kappa statistics. Results: Agreement between raters was excellent with respect to the presence/absence of OA (kappa 5 0.8). Only one subject reported pain in a TMJ. Fine and/or coarse crepitus was not heard in any subject. MRI showed that 70% displayed signs of OA in at least one TMJ. There were no gender-related differences in the prevalence of OA (P . 0.05). Conclusion: Gadolinium-enhanced MRI showed that OA of the TMJ is common in older people (70%), although the prevalence of clinical signs of OA is very low.

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