The efficacy of a specific stabilization splint.

BACKGROUND

The use of a Tanner type stabilization splint, fabricated on a leaf gauge articulation for the treatment of patients with disc displacement without reduction, is lacking in the literature.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study is to collect non-controlled, therapy-related observations; in other words, to demonstrate the efficacy of this appliance for the treatment of patients with disc displacement without reduction.

METHODS

The study enrolled 55 patients, 5 men, and 50 women, with the clinical diagnosis disc displacement without reduction, 42 with and 13 without limited mouth opening. All patients received a splint in the musculoskeletally stable centric relation (CR) position. Mouth opening, clinical performance, and the timeframe of splint treatment were assessed.

RESULTS

For 37 patients with a disc displacement without reduction with limited opening, the largest increase in mouth opening (9.5 +/- 5.6 mm) occurred in the first week (7.9 +/- 2.5 days). No occlusal adjustment of the splint was needed during the treatment sequence. For three patients, treatment took up to 3 months (8.1%), for 13 patients, between 3 and 6 months (35.1%), and for 17 patients, within a year (45.9%), making a total of 89.1% successfully treated patients. Out of 50 patients, 29 had a total resolution of signs and symptoms, whereas 21 patients still suffered from solitary temporomandibular disorder (TMD) signs.

CONCLUSION

A Tanner type stabilization splint, fabricated in the musculoskeletally stable CR position, appears to be an effective and efficient means for the treatment of patients with disc displacement without reduction. Its efficacy makes it eligible to be tested in a randomized controlled trial.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The efficacy of this specific splint, fabricated in the musculoskeletally stable CR position, makes it a promising tool to treat TMD patients with disc displacement without reduction.