Surgical and Conservative Treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Anterior Disc Displacement in Adults: A Cohort Study on Condylar Remodelling.
Jiannan Zhao, Yao Liu, Xingyu Lyu et al.
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In 30 seconds
This multicentre comparative cohort study assessed 12-month condylar remodelling in adults with anterior disc displacement without reduction who chose disc repositioning surgery or conservative treatment with intra-articular injections and stabilization splints. CBCT measurements showed mean condylar height increased by 0.24 mm after surgery and decreased by 0.89 mm with conservative treatment. Most condyles were classified as stable or improved in both groups. Among young adults with pre-existing condylar degeneration, improvement was more frequent after surgery, although treatment was selected by patients rather than randomly assigned.
Key findings
- At 12 months, mean condylar height increased by 0.24 mm in the surgical group and decreased by 0.89 mm in the conservative group.
- Condyles were classified as stable or improved in 86.0% of the surgical group and 71.9% of the conservative group.
- Among young adults with pre-existing degeneration, 61.9% of condyles improved after surgery versus 28.1% with conservative treatment.
Why it matters
Condylar remodelling is relevant to the structural course of temporomandibular joint disease. These findings suggest that both treatment approaches may be associated with favourable bone changes over 12 months, while surgery was associated with better preservation of condylar height and greater improvement in a subgroup with pre-existing degeneration. The results help frame treatment discussions but do not establish comparative causal effects.
What to keep in mind
Patients selected their treatment, so the groups were not randomly assigned and may have differed in ways that influenced outcomes. Follow-up was limited to 12 months.