Comparison between disc repositioning by open surgery versus occlusal splint in the treatment of temporomandibular joint anterior disc displacement without reduction: A retrospective cohort trial of short-term results

To compare the short-term clinical results between disc repositioning by open surgery (DROS) and stabilization splint (SS) for the treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADDwoR). Patients diagnosed with ADDwoR by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and treated by either DROS or SS from June 2020 to January 2022 were reviewed. They were selected to match the baseline data before each treatment and then to compare the clinical results including maximum interincisal opening (MIO), protrusion and lateral excursion distances, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of pain, diet, and quality of life (QoL) and their effective rates, total satisfaction rate after 3 and 6 months of the treatment, and between the 2 treatment methods. SPSS software was used to analyze the statistical differences. A total of 175 patients were included in the study. There were 95 patients in the DROS group and 80 patients in the SS group. MIO and VAS scores were significantly improved after each treatment at 3 and 6 months (p < 0.05). DROS improved more at 6 months than 3 months (p < 0.001), whereas SS had no significant changes (p > 0.05). DROS had significantly better MIO, VAS score and effect rates than SS (p < 0.001). The total satisfaction rate was 94.73% in DROS and 86.25% in SS. The protrusion and lateral excursions decreased after DROS at 3 months (p < 0.001) but improved at 6 months to better than before the surgery (p = 0.03, p = 0.10). There were no significant changes in protrusion and lateral excursions after SS (p > 0.05, p > 0.05). DROS had better short-term clinical results than SS in the treatment of ADDwoR.