Temporomandibular Joint and its disorders are implicated in the causation of orofacial pain. Although the TMJ is a small joint compared with the joints in the rest of the body, it is intricate, and its study is complex. Plain radiographs, tomographs, and computed tomography all have their value in demonstrating the anatomy and the osseous morphology of the joint but fail to reveal the non-osseous components of the joint, especially the meniscus or disc. The use of magnetic resonance imaging led the way to our understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the joint in a way we could not by using any other imaging modality

This lecture will focus on the types of MR imaging currently utilized and the value of different pulse sequences to disorders related to disc displacement,  changes related to the synovium, the capsule, and the muscular and ligaments that are responsible for normal functionality of the joint. The lecture will focus on the conditions that may lead to pain and dysfunction of the TMJ  commonly known as  TMD.

Dr. Mel Mupparapu graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, and became certified by the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology in 1999. He started his academic journey in 1996 as an assistant professor of Radiology and rose to the rank of Professor in 2006. He was the director of Radiology at Rutgers University School of Dental Medicine from 2002 to 2011 and returned to the University of Pennsylvania as the Director of Radiology. He is also an attending Radiologist at the Hospital Of the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery since 2012.  He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and more than 10 book chapters and edited 4 volumes of Dental Clinics of North America. Dr. Mupparapu is a co-investigator in two large NIH-funded grants at Penn Dental Medicine investigating the role of HAART medication in the promotion of osteoporosis among people living with HIV and the use of artificial intelligence for diagnostic applications for apical periodontitis. Dr. Mupparapu investigated the creation of remote dental consultation at the beginning of the millennium funded by two large grants from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) from 1999-2002 and led the way for the concept of remote dental consultation which is now known as Telemedicine and Teledentistry.