Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jul;27(7):3991-3997.
doi: 10.1007/s00784-023-05024-z. Epub 2023 Apr 29.

Causes and treatment of temporomandibular luxation-a retrospective analysis of 260 patients

Reetta Tarhio  1 , Miika Toivari  2 , Johanna Snäll  2 , Johanna Uittamo  2
Affiliations

Causes and treatment of temporomandibular luxation-a retrospective analysis of 260 patients

Reetta Tarhio et al. Clin Oral Investig. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to clarify the etiology, diagnostic process, and treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) luxation, as the standard care is mainly based on case-reports and systematic studies are lacking. The hypotheses were that luxation occurs spontaneously, recurrence manifests particularly among geriatric patients, and surgery is needed infrequently.

Patients and materials: A retrospective study of TMJ luxation patients (n = 260) from 2007 to 2020 was designed and implemented. The primary outcome was type of TMJ luxation (i.e., recurrent or non-recurrent), and secondary outcomes were the need for and type of surgical intervention. Predictor variables comprised age, sex, presence of neurological condition, and mechanism of luxation. Administered treatment and clinical outcomes were recorded.

Results: Of luxation, 61.9% was recurrent and 40.0% due to spontaneous cause. Only 1.9% of patients underwent surgical intervention. The presence of neurological condition caused a 1.34-fold risk for recurrence of luxation and general condition a 1.57-fold risk.

Conclusions: TMJ luxation is often recurrent, bilateral, and spontaneous. Recurrent luxation is associated with geriatric and neurological conditions, and in this group recurrent TMJ luxation predicted death.

Clinical relevance: Our findings contribute to more effective diagnostics and treatment of TMJ luxation patients. We show that there is a need to standardize diagnostic measures and treatment patterns. Moreover, collaboration with other specialities, especially neurology and geriatrics, is important.

Keywords: Geriatric age; Neurological condition; Oral and maxillofacial surgery; Temporomandibular luxation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Liddell A, Perez DE. Temporomandibular joint dislocation. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2015;27(1):125–136. doi: 10.1016/j.coms.2014.09.009. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abrahamsson H, Eriksson L, Abrahamsson P, Häggman-Henrikson B. Treatment of temporomandibular joint luxation: a systematic literature review. Clin Oral Investig. 2020;24(1):61–70. doi: 10.1007/s00784-019-03126-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hillam J, Isom B (2022) Mandible dislocation. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing Copyright © 2022, StatPearls Publishing LLC
    1. Akinbami BO (2011) Evaluation of the mechanism and principles of management of temporomandibular joint dislocation. Systematic review of literature and a proposed new classification of temporomandibular joint dislocation. Head Face Med 7:10 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lowery LE, Beeson MS, Lum KK. The wrist pivot method, a novel technique for temporomandibular joint reduction. J Emerg Med. 2004;27(2):167–170. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2004.03.007. - DOI - PubMed