The effect of arthroscopic surgery on mandibular range of motion.

Limited range of motion of the mandible secondary to intra-articular problems has become an accepted indication for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy. The authors have looked at 297 patients over a 2 1/2 year follow-up period. The patients were subdivided by their initial opening measurement (10-20 mm or 20-30 mm). The post-operative improvement of these patients was then evaluated. Furthermore, multiple variables were used to look at the effect of surgical procedures, diagnosis and other associated clinical findings on outcome. In conclusion, the authors found that the range of motion significantly improved to a close to normal opening in almost all patient groupings. This finding was unrelated to a variety of variables and supports the hypothesis that TMJ arthroscopic surgery has a definite role in treating restricted range of motion secondary to intra-articular pathology.