Costochondral grafting for posttraumatic temporomandibular joint reconstruction: a review of six cases.

Costochondral grafting in growing children for missing, diseased, or ankylosed condyles has been widely reported. The use of these grafts for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstruction in nongrowing adults has received relatively little attention. This article reviews the use of costochondral grafts in six cases of posttraumatic TMJ dysfunction in adults. Four patients increased their maximum incisal opening by an average of 49.1%, and two patients showed decreases in opening. Overall clinical results were judged to be very good. It is emphasized that biologic reconstruction of the adult TMJ is preferable to alloplastic reconstruction because, just as in the growing child, the adult articulation must adapt to the demands of the functional matrix.