Backgrounds: Intra-articular adhesions (IA) are an important pathological sign in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction syndrome (TMDS).

Objectives: To describe the incidence and distribution of IA in our patient sample and to look for the relationship between IA and disk position.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in 67 patients (134 joints) who underwent bilateral arthroscopy. We studied the incidence of adhesions in the patient sample and their distribution by WB stages and according to the presence of disk displacement and type of displacement (preoperative MRI), reductible (A) or non-reductible (B).

Results: IA were observed in 48% of the 134 joints treated. We found a higher incidence of adhesions in joints with advanced stages in WB clasiffication ( p < 0.05). IA were found in 64.3% of joints with disk B, and only in 38.1% of the joints with disk A ( p < 0.05). In joints with non displaced disc, IA were <10%.

Conclusions: The AI are a common arthroscopic finding in patients with TMDS and the incidence is higher in advanced WB stages. The results, according to disk displacement, leads to the hypothesis that the hypomobility of the disc is one of the factors in the genesis of adhesions.