Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) is a common disease in the oral and maxillofacial region. TMD is characterized by pain in the temporomandibular joint area, joint sounds, and limited mouth opening accompanied by displacement, perforation, and rupture of the temporomandibular joint disc. Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is a degenerative disease that can cause joint pain and dysfunction. In recent years, the number of patients who have been treated for symptoms such as pain, limited mouth opening and the sounds of joint has risen sharply, and the age of the patients has gradually decreased. At present, there is no effective treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders. The purpose of this paper is to explain the mechanism and research progress of temporomandibular joint disc disease and the relationship between temporomandibular joint disc disease and TMJ osteoarthritis to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of TMD.