The management of temporomandibular joint pain and limited function may involve non-surgical treatment, arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, arthroplasty and total joint replacement. There is no consensus on an appropriate algorithm to follow to ensure good patient outcomes while also reducing the number of surgical procedures needed. Despite the lack of a consensus, there is sufficient evidence to provide relatively robust recommendations that can assist clinicians in developing patient-centric algorithms that can greatly improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with internal derangement and associated pain and limited function.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be able to:
Analyze the many sources of orofacial and temporomandibular joint pain and develop history-taking and physical examination techniques to identify those patients likely to benefit from temporomandibular joint surgery.
Explain the logic of following an evidence-based surgical algorithm that will facilitate appropriate surgical intervention and predictable patient-reported outcomes.
Analyze how not all patients will benefit from surgical intervention and identifying them is critical.
Discuss the nature and variety of complications that can follow surgery of the temporomandibular joint.
Explain the importance of axis II diagnoses that must be recognized and addressed as part of the comprehensive management of patients with temporomandibular joint pain and limited function.