Technical approaches and clinical outcomes of the treatment of temporomandibular dysfunction with prostheses: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacement is usually a last resort in the surgical treatment of end-stage joint disease. For all this gear to work efficiently, occlusion, articulation, musculature, ligaments, and psychological factors must be in complete harmony. As a treatment, implantation of a total alloplastic TMJ prosthesis. Objective: It was to demonstrate, through a systematic review, the main considerations and clinical outcomes of the treatment of temporomandibular disorders with different types of prostheses. Methods: The systematic review rules of the PRISMA Platform were followed. The search was carried out from February to April 2023 in the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases, using articles from 2013 to 2023. Results and Conclusion: A total of 127 articles were found, 60 articles were evaluated and 31 were included and developed in this systematic review study. Considering the Cochrane tool for risk of bias, the overall assessment resulted in 12 studies with a high risk of bias and 33 studies that did not meet GRADE. Based on the results, temporomandibular disorders (TMD) treatment is diverse and depends on the type of disease, as well as the duration and subjective level of pain. Alloplastic reconstruction can be advantageous in obtaining a rapid improvement in symptoms and rapid rehabilitation of masticatory function. Treatment of functional TMD is commonly based on conservative therapy, including physical therapy, pain therapy, and splinting therapy. Depending on the severity of TMD, treatment varies according to the degree of surgical invasion. Thus, the TMJ prosthesis seems to be reserved for patients with persistent pain, bone or fibrous ankylosis, or osteomyelitis after primary closed or open treatment of mandibular condyle fractures. Quality of life, mouth opening, and daily eating improved significantly after total TMJ prosthesis.