Functional outcomes in bilateral temporomandibular joint ankylosis treated with stock prosthesis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional outcomes in patients affected by bilateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis treated with TMJ total alloplastic reconstruction with stock prosthesis. As a matter of fact, ankylosis of the TMJ may produce the narrowing of the oropharyngeal airway space resulting in the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, a pathological condition characterized by repetitive upper airway obstructions during sleep, resulting in arousal from sleep, sleep fragmentation, arterial oxygen desaturation. and daytime hypersomnolence. Clinical results demonstrate that total TMJ reconstruction with prosthesis is the surgical modality of choice to obtain the counterclockwise rotation and the advancement of the max-illomandibular complex, which significantly increase the volume of the oropharyngeal airway space in this kind of patients.