Internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint. III. Anterior repositioning splint therapy

A bstract — Over a four-year period, anterior repositioning (REPO) splint therapy was used to treat 241 temporomandibular joint pain patients for whom a clinical diagnosis of anterior disc displacement had been made. Following an initial six months of active REPO therapy, the response to treatment over the ensuing twelve months was generally encouraging, control of joint noise and discomfort being achieved in 70 per cent of the treated sample. This figure had decreased to 53 per cent at the two-year follow-up and, by the end of three years, only 36 per cent were considered successfully treated.
It is suggested that REPO splint therapy for anterior disc displacement should not be lightly undertaken by the general dental practitioner but that a more conservative approach should be adopted for the vast majority of TMJ pain patients.