Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. May 6, 2022; 10(13): 4264-4272
Published online May 6, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i13.4264
Treatment of condylar osteophyte in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis with muscle balance occlusal splint and long-term follow-up: A case report
Kai-Wen Lan, Jia-Min Chen, Liu-Lin Jiang, Yi-Fan Feng, Ying Yan
Kai-Wen Lan, Liu-Lin Jiang, Yi-Fan Feng, Ying Yan, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
Jia-Min Chen, Department of Prosthodontics, Affiliated Stomatology Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Restoration and Reconstruction, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Applied Research of Oral Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou 510182, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Yan Y, Lan KW, Chen JM, Jiang LL, and Feng YF examined the patient and collected the clinical data; Lan KW, Chen JM, Jiang LL, and Feng YF wrote the manuscript; Yan Y edited the manuscript and approved the final version.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors own a patent (No. ZL 202120549626.3, CN) describing the design of the muscle balance occlusal splint, as well as its treatment application for temporomandibular joint disorder and bruxism. The patent is licensed to Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ying Yan, MSc, Chief Doctor, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China. yanying2@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Received: October 8, 2021
Peer-review started: October 8, 2021
First decision: December 10, 2021
Revised: December 16, 2021
Accepted: March 16, 2021
Article in press: March 16, 2022
Published online: May 6, 2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Condylar osteophytes, a remodeling form of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA), mainly manifest as marginal angular outgrowths of the condyle. Previous researchers have advocated surgical removal of condylar osteophytes. Reports on the effect of occlusal splint on TMJ OA patients’ joints have mostly focused on treatment with this splint, which can reduce the absorption of the affected condyle and promote repair and regeneration. However, the effect of the splint on the dissolution of condylar osteophytes has not yet been reported.

CASE SUMMARY

A 68-year-old female patient suffered from occlusal discomfort with left facial pain for 2 years. Cone beam computed tomography showed a rare osteophyte on top of her left condyle. She was finally diagnosed with TMJ OA. The patient refused surgical treatment and received conservative treatment with a muscle balance occlusal splint. The pain experienced by the patient on the left side of her face was relieved, and her chewing ability recovered after treatment. The osteophyte dissolved, and the condylar cortex remained stable during long-term follow-up observations.

CONCLUSION

The muscle balance occlusal splint could be a noninvasive means of treating condylar osteophytes in TMJ OA patients.

Keywords: Condylar osteophyte, Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis, Mechanical environment, Muscle balance occlusal splint, Treatment, Case report

Core Tip: Cylindrical osteophytes on the top of the condyle are rare. This is the first report to describe the treatment of condylar osteophyte with an occlusal splint, which may pose a challenge to the traditional application of surgical intervention in the treatment of osteophytes. The effect of occlusal splints on osteophytes is unclear.