Condylar morphological measurements and differences between idiopathic condylar resorption patients and normal people: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Idiopathic condylar resorption (ICR) is a rare temporomandibular joint disease characterized by progressive condylar degeneration with an unknown etiology. A comprehensive quantitative analysis of the morphological differences in the condyle between ICR patients and normal individuals is crucial, yet limited by small sample sizes in existing literature. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. A random-effects model was employed to synthesize the mean differences in key condylar measurements between ICR patients and normal controls. The analysis revealed that ICR patients had significantly smaller condylar dimensions compared to normal individuals. The meta-analysis quantified the following reductions: Condylar height: -3.71 mm. Condylar width: -3.38 mm. Condylar length: -1.19 mm. Axial angle: -13.70° . This study provides synthesized quantitative data on condylar morphology in ICR, however, the conclusions should be interpreted with caution due to the presence of heterogeneity and potential biases in the included studies.