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Abstract

This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the prevalence of pneumatization of temporal components of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) as well as its prevalence regarding gender, laterality, and locularity using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in different populations. This secondary study was performed using a systematic search of literature until 2020 on Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Embase databases. The extracted data was entered in Stata 12 software and to integrate the results, the meta-analysis method was used and the effect size of prevalence was calculated. In the present study, the prevalence of PAT was estimated at 24% based on the subjects; PAT was calculated at 19% in men and slightly lower in women (18%). Unilateral prevalence was higher than bilateral PAT (60% vs. 40%). Also, the multilocular pattern was reported more commonly than unilocular PAT (70% vs. 30%).  The prevalence of PGF was estimated at 31% based on the subjects, which is higher than the prevalence of PAT. Regarding the significant prevalence of PAT and PGF detected in CBCT imaging of the studied populations, PAT and PGF are considered important normal anatomical variations that should be mentioned in radiologic reports.