Long term evaluation of patient specific alloplastic temporomandibular joint replacement prosthesis: A 5-year follow-up

Abstract

Background and objective: This is a retrospective study that was conducted aiming at evaluating the 5-year Quality of life (QoL) outcomes for patients who underwent TMJ total prosthetic joint replacement with custom prosthesis.Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with a total of thirty-three total joints replaced were recalled 5 years postoperatively for clinical evaluation of pain (VAS), mouth opening and QoL outcomes. This was done after the regular follow up that was made four years earlier, 1 year from execution of the procedure. Prosthetic joints placed were composed of a condylar portion made of medical titanium alloy grade 4 extra low interaction and a fossa component made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.Results: All patients reported a positive outcome regarding quality of life with various degrees, improvement in mouth opening and pain in patients who suffered from hypomobile joints was noted.Conclusion: Total joint replacement is the best course of action for a variety of conservative and minimally invasive resistant conditions. TMJ-S-QoL is a validated post-surgical questionnaire. The responses provided by the individual are subjective and impacted by a variety of factors, including their personality traits and attitudes at the time. QoL is difficult to evaluate since patient conduct and sentiments connected to it might vary over time and with experience.