A Non-Tooth-Borne Mouth-Opening Device for Postoperative Rehabilitation after Surgical Release of Trismus

Abstract

The treatment of severe trismus requires a combination of surgical release and postoperative rehabilitation; the latter is essential for preventing a relapse due to postoperative inactivity and scarring. Mouth-opening devices for this purpose are placed between or fixed to the teeth to keep the dental arches apart; but patients suffering from severe trismus often present with partially or totally edentulous arches, decayed teeth, or periodontitis, which do not allow for the use of such devices. In this article, a new mouth-opening device is described. It applies force to two intraoral screws placed in the vestibulum of the maxillary and mandibular bones. It can be used in patients with poor dental conditions and allows rehabilitation to start immediately after trismus release. A case is presented. The interalveolar distance was improved from 5 mm to 45 mm and maintained at 6-month follow-up. Our non-tooth-borne mouth opening device is useful for postoperative rehabilitation after surgical release of trismus.